Chaos Scream
by Shritistrang
Summary: Tikal the Echidna wants to prevent the Sailor Senshi from making a huge mistake, thus she merges their reality with another one... and in the process, Setsuna becomes the sister of the 'Ultimate Life Form'... Crossover with 'Sailor Moon'
1. A menace called Crystal Tokyo

Author's Note: This is part of a huge multi-part story I am planning. But this story can be read on its own, without knowing what happened in the other parts. So, enjoy!

----

The floating ball of light descended into the dark room. "I'm here, sir," a female voice called out. "You have a mission for me?"

A shadowy figure stepped forward. Only the outlines of its body could be seen. "That I have, Tikal," the figure said in a male voice. "And this one is very important."

"I'm ready for everything."

The shadowy man nodded. He held out a hand, and a small blue planet appeared. "On this version of Earth, a dark future has been predicted, and most of the people that are planning to make this future reality really don't have any idea of the tragedy this future is going to cause."

"You want me to prevent this future?" Tikal said , slightly unsure.

"Yes, indeed," the man continued. "But you don't have to use force... most of these people have the purest hearts you can imagine. They simply don't know the results of their actions."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Here are your instructions." The figure held out a paper that floated towards the glowing ball. When it touched the light, it instantly disappeared.

"I understand," Tikal said. "What exactly is the name of this menace?"

The figure looked darkly at her. "It is called... Crystal Tokyo!"

----

Around the same time Ranma Saotome vanished out of Nerima, Sailor Pluto was standing before the Gates of Time. She was very nervous.

She ALWAYS kept track of Ranma, wherever he was. His chaos factor was simply too big to leave him unguarded. But now, he was gone... not dead, not teleported to another planet, just... gone!

That didn't make any sense.

"People don't vanish just like that," Pluto muttered. "I should have been able to easily track him down using the gates, but... it's like he doesn't exist anymore."

"He doesn't, at least not in this dimension," a voice called out to her. Setsuna turned around and saw a ball of light slowly floating down on the ground.

"Who are you?" Pluto was on guard. No one should be able to come to the Gates of Time that easily. "How did you get here?"

The gleaming ball touched the ground, and with a flash of light, turned into a small, humanoid animal... a girl, to be precise.

Pluto blinked. "You're... a hedgehog?"

The girl smiled. "Echidna, actually! My name is Tikal, and I was send here to fetch you, Setsuna Meioh."

Sailor Pluto blinked again. The girl shouldn't be able to see through her disguise field. "How did you... never mind." She shook her head. "It seems like you have abilities I never heard of. Where are you from? And do you know what happened to Ranma Saotome?"

The orange-furred Echidna smiled. "He was sent to another world, to serve it as a hero. He won't be a bother to you anymore, Setsuna... as from now on, your work here will be done."

"I don't quite understand what you mean," Setsuna carefully replied. "Are you threatening me?"

Tikal giggled and shook her head. "Oh, no no, I am no warrior. I would never be strong enough to beat someone like you."

"So what do you mean? I have to stay here and make sure nothing threatens the future or Crystal Tokyo."

Tikal stretched out her hands. "That exactly is the point. Crystal Tokyo. My... employers... have decided that it would be too dangerous to allow you and the Senshi to build this city."

Now Setsuna was angrily gripping her rod. "Leave! Now! Crystal Tokyo is an Utopia, where everyone will be free and happy under the rule of Neo-Queen Serenity."

Tikal sadly shook her head. "Living under the rule of a queen? I don't think that counts as 'free', Setsuna. And while the residents of Crystal Tokyo may be safe from the Great Freeze, what about the rest of Earth? If you were wise, you would have used that knowledge to prevent the Great Freeze, not just to save the people of Japan."

"What do you know?" Pluto growled. "It was the wish of Queen Serenity of the Moon Kingdom, that one day, her kingdom would be built anew, with her reincarnated daughter as queen."

"But don't you see? This isn't 'freedom' any more... that's forcing the people to accept a ruler. We looked into the future as well, Setsuna... and Crystal Tokyo won't cause anything good. The hearts of the queen and her Senshi will be frozen after the Great Freeze, failing to notice the disaster that struck all the other people."

"But what about Small Lady?" Setsuna now sounded pretty desperate. "If Crystal Tokyo doesn't become reality, she will never be born."

Tikal shook her head. "That's not true. Do Usagi Tsukino and Mamoru Chiba need a kingdom to keep their love? Do they need to be king and queen to raise a child? The prevention of Crystal Tokyo won't be the prevention of Chibiusa's birth."

"I won't let you destroy the Utopia we're planning to bring to the humans," Sailor Pluto shouted angrily. "Dead Scream!"

The magical attack barely missed Tikal, who gave a loud cry of surprise and jumped aside. "Please, Setsuna... stop that! I'm not here to hurt you!"

"Leave, or I'm forced to make you leave," Pluto yelled.

Tikal sighed. "I thought I could convince you before this happens... but I guess the boss was right." She raised her hands and began chanting.

"Let this world merge with another world! Let the lesser pains of the new world overwhelm the bigger pains of the previous world! Let there be happiness and hope for all living beings in this future!"

She took one last look at Setsuna. "I'm sorry... If I were able to convince you, you would have been spared of getting this new role in life... a very hard life, I have to add."

And everything vanished in a bright light.

----

She opened her eyes. She couldn't see anything. What happened? Where was she?

WHO was she?

"Now, now, my dear," a soothing voice said. "It's okay. Here, let me take off the bindings..."

A pair of gentle hands removed the bandages that were covering her face. When her vision cleared, she saw the smiling face of an old man wearing a lab coat. He was looking down on her in concern. "Are you okay? Does it hurt?"

She shook her head and slowly got up. "No... no, I'm fine. Uuuhh... my head! W-where am I? Who are you? What is this place? And... most important... who am I?"

The old man sighed and sat down next to her. She could now see that she was lying on some metal bed, inside a futuristic-looking room. Some strange machines were attached to the wall, and another person seemed to work on them.

"You are inside the ARK... the first space colony mankind created. I am Professor Gerald Robotnik... your creator!"

"Creator?" she gasped. "But I... am I not a living being?"

"Oh yes, you are," the professor assured her. "I created you using the wonders of gene technology. I guess that would make me your... father, in a sort of way." He laughed. "Some people say this way of creating life would be sinful... but think about it: What's so wrong about bringing life to a world of peace and beauty?"

She shook her head. "Nothing, I guess... But I think..." She tried to get up. "Whoa! Why... why am I so small? Am I a child?"

"No, you aren't! Here, take a look into the mirror..."

She carefully walked over to the big mirror and looked inside. A female, humanoid hedgehog looked back at her, her fur a dark emerald green.

"That's me?" she whispered. "Who am I?"

Professor Gerald proudly stood next to her. "You are Pluto the Hedgehog... the Ultimate Life Form - First Version!"

Pluto looked out of the window. She saw outer space... and floating below them, the blue planet... Earth.

"The ARK was the first space colony to be built," Gerald explained. "And the most advanced of its kind, too. There are many people living here, but a big part of the colony contains research facilities the Earth government let me use... under the condition I only use it for the good of the people... but that's what I always try to do with my work.

Remember that well, Pluto... everything... everything I create up here... is only for the good of this planet..."

"Are there... other beings living on earth like me?" Pluto murmured. "Or will I be a... freak?"

Gerald chuckled. "Oh, no! In addition to humans as me, there are several humanoid animals living down there on Earth. They are as intelligent and smart as we humans are... so don't worry about that."

Suddenly, a strange, hissing voice could be heard from the other side of the room: "Professssor, I finissshed my work."

Gerald turned around. "Oh, of course! I almost forgot - Pluto, let me introduce you to Bio... he's what I call the 'Prototype of the Ultimate Life Form'. I guess you can say he's your brother."

From under the wide cloak, a reptilian face with red scales looked at Pluto. He extended a bulky hand. "Niccce to meet you... sisssster!"

Nervously, Pluto took his hand... and shuddered. Bio's hand was cold. But at least, he seemed to be a nice person.

"Several miscalculations caused some deformations on his body," Gerald said in a sad voice. "I probably will never be able to forgive myself for that. Bio may be able to move freely... but everyone else on the ARK thinks he's an ugly monster. I fear I have ruined his life by just bringing him to life."

The lizard grinned at the professor. "It'ssss okay, professsor! I don't blame you. Thossse humanssss jussst don't know how to judge a perssson right." His gaze returned to Pluto. "But I'm sure they will be able to sssee your beauty easssily, my sissster."

Pluto blushed.

"Well, Bio... if you're finished, please take these results to Dr. Johnson. He'll need them for his report."

Bio nodded, scooped up several papers and left the room.

"You will get used to him, eventually," Gerald told his 'daughter'. "He can be scary, but deep inside, he has a golden heart, I know it."

Suddenly, he smiled at Pluto. "Perhaps you're interested in meeting your other sibling?"

"There's someone else?" Pluto asked. Gerald nodded. "Well, I guess it would be polite to introduce myself to him or her."

Gerald laughed. "Oh, he won't be able to talk to you, I'm afraid... but that's okay! You'll see what I mean."

Together, they walked out of the room.

----

Professor Gerald led Pluto through various corridors. Several times, other men or women in lab coats hurried past them, muttering a quick "Good afternoon, professor!" while they were on their way. Sometimes, they also passed some men dressed in what looked like military uniforms. They didn't say anything, but Pluto felt like they were staring at her with grim faces.

"Don't mind the soldiers," Gerald whispered. "They're here to make sure we scientists do our work, and to protect the ARK from intruders. Many of them don't agree with my work, so I fear they won't like you."

Pluto felt afraid. "Will the other people from Earth like me?"

"Of course," Gerald assured her. "The soldiers are forces from GUN - the top military defense force, and they can be kinda rough... but they are the best of the best, I can assure you!"

Suddenly quick footsteps approached them. "Grandfather, grandfather," a high voice shouted. "There you are! I was looking all over the ARK for you."

Gerald turned around, smiling down at the little blonde girl. "Maria, I told you today I was going to finish the new project. Pluto, this is my granddaughter, Maria! Her parents are working for the government, too, but on earth. Maria was born on the ARK, but as her parents don't have the time to take care of her, I'm looking after her. Maria, this is Pluto."

Maria smiled. "Nice to meet you, Pluto! Grandfather told me so much about how happy he was to bring life to you. I hope you like it here."

Pluto smiled back at the nice girl. "Thanks, Maria. I haven't seen much yet, but I believe I will enjoy living here."

Maria nodded, then turned back to the professor. "Grandfather, Chester ran away from me again. Every time I try to make him do his homework, he just sneaks out of the room."

Gerald sighs. "And his mother told me to take care of the little guy... Well, I don't have the time to help search for him right now... Try searching in the leisure room! That's his favorite place."

Maria nodded. "Okay, grandfather. I'll try to find him." She smiled at Pluto. "It was nice meeting you, Pluto. Perhaps we can meet later in our apartment, okay?"

Pluto nodded. She definitely liked the cheerful girl. "Thanks, I'd like to come."

And as Maria left, they continued their way to another room.

The inside looked like one would expect from a high-tech research facility. There were blinking lamps and machines everywhere. And in the middle of the room, Pluto saw some kind of massive tank, filled with a dark green fluid.

And floating in the middle of the tank was... a male black hedgehog.

He looked almost identical to her, but his fur was a pure black, with several crimson red stripes. His eyes were closed.

Gerald put a hand on her shoulder. "This is your brother, Shadow... the Ultimate Life Form, Second Version. He still is not ready to wake up yet, but he will in several days. You were my first great success in my research. I wanted to create a living being that would be able to protect the humans from all peril that may come onto our beloved planet... Bio was the prototype of my research... but as I said, something was still amiss. I took much more precautions when I designed your body. I was very proud when you were ready to open your eyes... the first great success! I expect Shadow to exceed my previous results even further... he probably will be more powerful and pure than you are. Now that you are awake, I can concentrate on making your brother the true Ultimate Life Form... this is my goal!"

Pluto looked at Shadow's unmoving form. "But professor," she said in a small voice. "Isn't it... dangerous of creating something... someone like this? I mean, we're living beings. You can't exactly control us. I know I have no intentions of ever harming you, but how do you know Shadow will be the same?"

Gerald looked at her in surprise, then he laughed. "Don't worry. I will treat Shadow just like I treat you and Bio... as my son. He will live a happy life here on the ARK... I will teach both of you how to control your powers... and you will only have to fight if something or someone threatens the Earth. Have faith!"

Pluto nodded. But when she looked back at the floating form of the black hedgehog, she couldn't help but feel a shiver running down her spine.


	2. The capture of the Biolizard

The next day, Pluto was strolling around the ARK by herself. She had visited Maria in her quarters, and they had fun watching some old movies from earth. Maria told Pluto that she had never been to Earth before, and she would like to know what life down there would be like.

This morning, the professor had made some tests on her body, the rest of the day, she was free to explore. And there was much to see on the ARK.

Professor Gerald just told her to stay clear of the lower levels. It would be too dangerous there, as there were hazardous security corridors, constructed in case some intruders would infiltrate the ARK.

Most of the scientists and their families already knew Pluto and waved at her every time she passed them. The soldiers stayed as grumpy as ever, but Pluto didn't plan on becoming their friend anyway.

When she was walking down another corridor, she suddenly heard a noise from a nearby storage room. It sounded like several boxes had been tipped over.

When she entered the room, she could see some little boy struggling to get out of the collapsed boxes. Lucky for him, they were all empty.

Pluto smiled. "Well, you must be Chester. I heard a lot about you from Maria. I'm Pluto!"

The boy threw the last box away and stood up. He stared into Pluto's face. "I know about you," he said with a grim look on his face. "My father told me all about the mad professor's plans. You're one of the freaks he created in his lab, right?"

Pluto gulped. "Um, that's not quite true..."

"I heard you have to eat little animals to survive," the boy continued. "How many squirrels have you killed today?"

"I think your father has a slight misinterpretation of the professor's work," Pluto said while frowning. "I assure you, I am no freak, and so aren't my brothers."

"My father is always right," the boy shouted. "He is the commander of the GUN forces, you know? So don't try to fool me."

Pluto looked firmly into the boy's eyes. 'Strange,' she thought. 'They are differently colored.'

"Listen, Chester... I'm no freak, got it? I'm just a nice hedgehog that wants to go to lunch in peace, so don't bother me with the phantasms of your father, okay?"

"Lunch?" Chester mumbled. "Some juicy rabbits, I guess..."

Suddenly, Maria turned around the corner. "Pluto, have you seen...? Oh, there he is! Chester, you ran away again. You know you have to do your homework."

"Tell this freak to get away from me," Chester yelled. "She wanted to eat me."

Maria sighed. "Chester, please. Go to your room. We'll talk about this later."

The boy gave Pluto one final glance and left.

"I'm sorry about this," Maria said. "His father doesn't like what my grandfather is working on and thinks of him as a madman. I, on the other hand, think my grandfather is brilliant."

"Professor Gerald is brilliant," Pluto agreed. "Only most of the people don't seem to understand him. Why doesn't Chester's father imprison the professor if he thinks he is such a threat for the national safety?"

"Commander Charles Barrel may be the leader of the GUN troops, but he gets his orders from the president of the United Nations. So he has no choice but to listen to the president's orders. But I bet all those troops are here just to report to Barrel as soon as something happens..."

She shook her head. "But never mind. I wanted to show you something. Come with me!" And she took Pluto by the hand and led her towards the ARK's observatory.

----

Maria shoved Pluto towards the telescope. "Here, watch!"

Pluto peered through the telescope and saw outer space. "I can't see anything..."

"Wait, let me adjust the telescope's angle..." The view panned a little to the left... and now Pluto could see it. A giant comet, made from some black rock, surrounded by a crimson comet's tail.

"A comet..." Pluto murmured while moving away from the telescope.

Maria nodded. "Yes, the Black Comet! He's approaching Earth every 50 years, and tonight, he will pass the Earth at a very close distance. Amazing, isn't it?"

Pluto shook her head. Something about that comet... gave her the creeps. But she couldn't explain what it meant.

Maria looked at her with a worried face. "Is something wrong?"

Pluto smiled. "No, everything's fine. Come, the professor gave me some money... I'll buy you a sundae at the cafeteria."

Maria beamed. "Great!"

----

Professor Gerald was sitting at the window of his research facility and sighed. He was able to bring life to Pluto, but regarding Shadow... he seemed to have reached a dead end. He knew what was necessary to enrich Shadow's body with the intended power, but... it didn't quite work. What he needed, was some kind of catalyst...

"Do not worry, human! Everything will work out just fine."

Gerald was startled. In alarm, he looked around the room. Except from Shadow's floating form inside the tank, the room was empty. "Who's there?" Gerald shouted.

Then, a floating silhouette appeared inside the laboratory. It was translucent and resembled nothing the professor had seen before. It was vaguely humanoid and had long, horn-like protrusions on his head. It's skin was a deep black, and its three eyes stared at him with a gleaming red. It wore some kind of robe, decorated with various unknown symbols and chains.

"Do not be afraid, human," the apparition exclaimed. "I mean you no harm. I am Black Doom, leader of the extraterrestrial race known as the Black Arms. Our home is the Black Comet." He gestured towards the window, where Gerald could see the faint red sparkling of the comet's tail.

He gulped nervously. It didn't happen every day that you were being visited by an alien. "My name is... Professor Gerald Robotnik. Why... why are you here?"

"I could listen to your thoughts of distress, Professor," the alien continued in its eery voice. "And I think I can offer you a bargain that both of us are going to profit from."

"What kind of... bargain?"

Black Doom turned towards the container where the form of Shadow was sleeping. "I see you're planning to create something that you call the... Ultimate Life Form. But you have some problems of adjusting his DNA for your benefits."

Professor Gerald considered denying it, but he suspected that creature would be able to read his thoughts like an open book. "That's... correct," he said. "I tried everything to acclimatize his body fluids to my serum, but to no avail. It's just no use..." He sighed.

"Fret not, Gerald," Black Doom said. "For I offer you something that can help you reach your goal." He held up a small vial containing a crimson liquid. "A sample... of my blood!"

"Your... blood?"

"Indeed," the alien nodded. "Our race has most intriguing abilities, and I'm the superior ruler of them all. You'll see that if my blood gets injected into this creature, it will truly become the Ultimate Life Form of your planet."

Gerald was amazed. If that was true, then he would be able to finish his research. His dream would come true. "And what is my part of the bargain?" he asked.

Black Doom lowered his face. "You need to bring me... the seven Chaos Emeralds!"

----

Chester angrily walked down the corridors. How could Maria, the only person that was important to him next to his family, take sides with that freak? His father was right: The professor was a mad scientist.

He hit the metal walls in anger and walked past a door, when he heard a strange voice. It seemed to come out of the professor's laboratory. Quickly, he went to the door and looked through the glass panel.

Inside that room... he could see the three monsters that would haunt his dreams from now on: The mad scientist himself, a horrible black monster that was talking to the professor, and inside that tube...

...a hedgehog as black as the night. Floating inside that green liquid, bearing those crimson stripes, it was the most horrifying sight the little boy ever saw in his entire life.

He let out a small yell of terror and fled down the corridor.

----

Slowly, the black hedgehog opened his eyes. All members of his little 'family' hold their breath.

Shadow slowly stepped out of the tank. "Who...? Where...? What...?

Pluto grinned. "Yeah, those were my own words as well. Don't worry. You'll feel fine in a few moments."

Shadow looked around. "This is... the ARK, right?"

Pluto was amazed. "How do you know that?"

"It'sss being programmed into hisss brain," Bio hissed in a quiet voice.

Shadow looked at the professor. "And you are... my creator?"

Gerald nodded. "That's right, Shadow! Welcome to this world, if I may say so. And these are your siblings." He gestured towards Pluto and Bio, who waved.

Shadow walked up to them and smirked. "Dark fur seems to run in the family," he chuckled while looking at Pluto. Then he turned around to Bio. "But you seem to be a little different from us, huh?"

"Doesssn't matter," Bio responded. "Important is not how I look, but how I feel."

Shadow nodded and looked at Maria. "And who are you? Another sister of mine?"

She giggled. "No, no! I'm just Professor Geralds granddaughter. I'm Maria... nice to meet you, Shadow."

Shadow took her hand and smiled. "Maria..."

Maria giggled again and blushed when he looked intently at her.

And from that moment on, they were good friends.

----

The professor was sitting in his laboratory, at his desk. In front of him were lying several brochures and a big stone tablet. Gerald's body was leaning forward, and his eyes were closed.

He snored.

Shadow came walking into the lab. "Professor, I just wanted to... Professor?"

Gerald jolted awake and nearly fell from his chair. "Wha...? What? Oh, Shadow..." He sighed. "It's you! How are you faring?"

The black hedgehog shrugged. "Pretty good. Pluto and Maria showed me some old earth movies they thought I would like. They were okay. 'Titanic' was a little boring, though."

He looked at the professor's work. "What are you doing?"

The professor coughed. "Well, I'm just doing some research... about a special kind of jewel."

Shadow looked interested at the old stone tablet. On it, he could see some old carvings... some sort of shrine, and on its top, a big shining jewel. Next to the shrine, some undefinable blue shape was pictured. "What kind of jewel?"

"Well, they're called the 'Chaos Emeralds'. According to these old stone tablets, they were part of an ancient culture of echidnas that once lived on earth. They called the Emeralds the 'controllers'. What they were supposed to control, I have no idea... But one thing is sure: They're called emeralds, but actually, they have different colors. I believe there are seven of them, and everyone of them has its own color."

Shadow looked at the tablet. Over the shrine were seven colored spots. Those were the emeralds? "And what about that big, green one?"

Gerald shrugged. "No idea! I can just imagine that it was used to contain some ancient god of destruction... the writing wasn't very accurate, and I had problems translating their old language."

Suddenly, the door opened again and Pluto came in. "What are you two up to?" she asked. Shadow grinned. "The professor just showed me some of his research."

Pluto looked at Gerald with worried eyes. "You seem tired, professor! I think you should go to bed soon. Staying up that long isn't good for your health."

Gerald chuckled. "I guess you're right, dear... Well, I think I should go. Maria will be worried as well." He stood up, stretched his back and switched out his lamp. "Good night, you two. Don't stay up for too long, right?"

He left.

Pluto looked around. "Where's Bio?"

Shadow shrugged. "Beats me."

Pluto seemed upset. "He knows he can't survive for long if he doesn't connect himself regularly to his life support system. Now where did he go? Shadow, help me find him!"

Shadow sighed. "And I was looking forward for a good night's rest..."

----

They slowly walked down the sloping corridor. "We looked everywhere," Shadow growled. "Where is that cursed lizard?"

"Hey, don't call him that," Pluto scolded. "He can't help how he looks. That's just the way he was created, okay? Well, if he isn't in the rooms up here, that means..." She gasped in alarm. "He must be somewhere in the lower levels."

Shadow cursed. "And the professor told us exactly NOT to go down there."

"We have to find him before the security robots get him," Pluto said. "Come on, hurry up!"

"Oh, when I'm getting my hands on that lizard..."

----

Coughing, Bio closed the massive door. "There," he mumbled. "That should be ssssufficient. Thossse humanssss... they'll think twice about laughing at me..."

Suddenly, two hedgehogs came running down the corridor. "Bio, what are you doing there?" Shadow shouted angrily. "You know that's a restricted area."

Bio fidgeted nervously. "I... I jussst..."

Pluto frowned. "Hey, Shadow! It's enough. We have to get out of here. Those soldiers are just waiting for an excuse to blame us for anything that happens. Come on, you two, let's get out of here!"

But before they could leave, a hatch in the ceiling opened, and a beetle - a GUN security robot - came floating down into the corridor.

"This area is off-limits," it said in a mechanical voice. "Surrender yourselves!"

Pluto sighed. "It's no good, we have to... BIO!!"

The prototype snarled angrily at the machine. "You're not getting me that easssily, humans," he hissed and spat a dark ball of gravity at the beetle. It was instantly destroyed.

But before that, it managed to send an alarm signal to one of its brethren. Suddenly, red lights were flashing all over the corridor, and another artificial voice was shouting: "INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!"

"Now look what you've done," Shadow grumbled and gave Bio a light smack on his head.

"Quick, we have to get away before they find us," Pluto shouted. In a hurry, the three humanoid animals ran back the way they came.

The two hedgehogs were quickly running ahead, but Bio had his problems keeping up with them. "Sssstop," he hissed. "Not ssso fassst!"

Shadow turned around. "Hurry up! You want the soldiers to get us?"

Suddenly, voices could be heard in front of them. "They must be in here. Quick, before they escape!"

Pluto looked around and pointed to a pile of crates. "Over there, we hide behind them!"

Shadow and Pluto dove for cover and Bio tried to follow them. But, he tripped over his own tail and fell down to the floor.

While he got up, the soldiers appeared in front of him. "There he is! Get him!"

Their leader raised a rifle and pulled the trigger. A small dart hit Bio's side and made him hiss in pain. Then, his eyes slowly closed and he fell down to the ground.

Pluto and Shadow didn't dare doing anything, as the GUN soldiers picked up the unmoving body of their brother. "Inform HQ," one of the soldiers said. "It looks like in the end, one of the professor's experiments got out of control after all."

And while the soldiers carried the lizard's body away, Pluto hugged Shadow and let out a small sob. "What are they going to do with him?"

"I don't know," Shadow murmured. "I just don't know..."

----

"I'll ask you one last time: Where are the other experiments?" The tall man wearing the grey uniform was practically shouting into Bio's face.

The lizard struggled a little within his bonds. "I don't know... what you're talking about," he growled.

The commander snarled angrily. "Professor Gerald created three creatures like yourself! Two of them are still aboard the ARK! So where are they?"

"There are no creaturesss asss me on the ARK..." Bio lisped. And it was the truth: Shadow and Pluto may be his siblings, in a way of thinking, but they clearly weren't like him.

Commander Barrel cursed loudly. "Get that creature out of my sight," he snapped. The soldiers guarding the lizard saluted. "Yes, sir!"

Barrel shook his head. Doesn't matter! The professor clearly stepped over his bounds. This had to stop. Experimenting with those abominable life forms... it was a crime against life in the commander's eyes. He had to be stopped at all costs. The president HAD to accept that.

He activated his communicator. "Attention all units! Order 78 is now active. Clear up the ARK... shut down the research facilities... find the experiments and take them down, dead or alive! I don't care what it takes, but stop that madman!"

He made a fist. After his son saw that mad scientist making a pact with that gruesome alien, he was sure that some day, he would find a chance to make Gerald pay for his crimes.

And this day... was today!

----

Gerald sighed. "I don't blame the two of you," he said sadly. "Bio had always suffered, not only because of the soldiers. Most of my colleagues feared him as well. It just would have been a matter of time, before..."

"Without his life support system, he won't survive," Maria sobbed. "Why did this have to happen?"

Shadow looked down. "I really wish I had been able to save him..."

Before anyone could say anymore, something shook around the walls of the ARK. "W-what's happening, grandfather?" Maria asked in fright.

The loudspeakers of the colony came active: "All residents of the space colony ARK, listen up! This is the Guardian force of the United Nations (G.U.N.)! This space colony will be shut down, together with all of its research facilities. Surrender yourself to the members of our clearance teams, and no one will be harmed. Anyone that knows about the whereabouts of Professor Gerald Robotnik, or one of his research experiments, has to report it immediately!"

"Oh no!" Maria cried. "Why are the soldiers doing this to us?"

The professor grumbled. "I knew it would come to this... I always knew... they always feared my work."

He looked at Pluto and Shadow. "You two, bring Maria out of here! Guard them with your lives and try to escape as well! The escape pods are in Sector 3! I will try to save my research records and the Chaos Emeralds I managed to collect so far. Do not come back for me! Understand?"

Pluto wanted to object, but Shadow shoved her away and nodded. "Understood, Professor! I swear it, I will protect Maria." He looked at his two female friends. "Come, we have to go!"

"Grandfather!" Maria shouted, while Pluto and Shadow were pulling her with them. Gerald took one sad look after them, then hurried into his laboratory.

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Luckily all of my records are intact." He went to pick everything up, when suddenly, GUN soldiers came storming into the room. "There he is! Professor Gerald Robotnik, you are under arrest on orders of Commander Barrel from GUN. Please make no attempts to resist and everything will work out fine." The captain motioned to the notes, the machines and everything else. "Burn it! Burn everything down!" He walked over to a small chest and pulled out three Chaos Emeralds: A red one, a purple one and a light blue one.

After he left the room, soldiers carrying flamethrowers came in. While the professor was being dragged out of his lab, he had to watch how they were burning everything down. "No!! Not my research results! My laboratory! My life's work!! NO!!"

----

The two hedgehogs and Maria hurried through the corridors of the ARK.

"There," Pluto shouted. "Only past that hall, and we have reached the escape pods. They will get us down to Earth safely."

Shadow nodded, while Maria only sobbed. "Grandfather..."

But when they opened the door, something happened that should change everything... forever...

The only thing Pluto saw was a giant shape and a voice that shouted: "There they are! Fire!"

Then a gunshot.

Shadow really didn't understand what happened. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. The gun's bullet flew over his shoulder, past his head and hit the object that was directly behind him...

Maria's chest.

Pluto shouted: "NOOOOO..."

Again, like in slow motion, the small blonde girl fell down on the ground. She looked up one last time at Shadow's face and whispered: "Shadow... I beg of you... please... do it for me! For all these people on that planet..." She whispered something else that Pluto couldn't understand, then: "Sayonara, Shadow... the Hedgehog." Then her head fell back.

She was dead.

While Pluto looked at Maria's lifeless body, frozen with horror, a primal rage awoke inside Shadow's body. A flame of fury lit up in his eyes as he turned around to the big combat vessel that was hovering in front of them. It was round, like a flying saucer, had some guns under it's frontal cockpit and various other weapons all around its body.

"This is Heavy Dog, headquarters," the voice of the pilot exclaimed. "I found the two hedgehogs! Will now try to capture them!"

"You... you pathetic humans," Shadow growled. "YOU'RE GOING DOWN!"

And deep within his mind, an evil voice seemed to whisper: 'Yeeees, Shadow... submit to your fury... release your rage and direct it against those humans that made life so miserable for you...'

Pluto shouted: "Shadow, no!" But it was too late. The black hedgehog hurled its spiky body against the hovering craft while dodging its gunshots. He smacked against a missile launcher, it fell to the ground, he picked it up and fired a missile... right into the cockpit window of the Heavy Dog.

"GYYAAAAARRRRRGGHH!" the pilot screamed, as his vessel exploded in a shower of sparks.

Shadow fell down on the ground, unconscious.

Pluto ran to his side and checked his pulse. He was alive.

She looked back at Maria's body and tears flowed down her face. "Oh, Professor... is it really true? Can the human society accept us if everyone is reacting like this? I don't think so!" She collapsed in tears and only broke out of her misery when she heard other soldier's voices approaching. Quickly, she picked up Shadow's body and carried him over to one of the escape pods. They were only big enough to carry one body at once, so she stowed him inside, shut the door and let it fly to earth. Through the window, she could see the pipe-shaped capsule flying towards the blue planet.

She looked one last time at the dead body of the girl and sniffed. Only then she entered a capsule herself, shut it from the inside and let it fly.

The professor used to say: There's always hope when you have your friends and family.

But what if they took them away from you?

Hope turns into despair...


	3. Furry Senshi

Usagi blinked. She was just walking down the stairs for breakfast, when suddenly, something hit her.

Well, not really like 'it hit her in the face' or something like that, but... she could have sworn something happened.

"Hey, you sleeping or what? Hurry up, meatball head, or you'll be late for school."

Usagi snarled. Shingo, her annoying little twit of a brother, with his annoying bushy tail that...

Wait a minute!

Bushy tail?

Usagi looked. And indeed, her brother had a long, bushy, black tail with a white stripe running down to its tip.

What the heck was going on?

Then, again, SOMETHING hit her, and she calmed down. Why wouldn't her brother have a skunk tail? He WAS a skunk! Sure, she and the rest of her family were hedgehogs, but it was common knowledge that one of her great-grandmothers was married to a skunk, and this gene made itself visible in her stinky little brother.

The blonde, female hedgehog giggled as she thought about that. Stinky! Why didn't she think of that before?

Shingo gulped down his cereals and grabbed his backpack. "I'm off, Mom," he shouted.

Ikuko Tsukino came out of the kitchen. The blue-furred, motherly hedgehog frowned. "Shingo Tsukino! What did I tell you about eating cereals while standing?"

"Sorry, Mom." He put the empty bowl into his mother's hands and left, his bushy tail bouncing with each step.

Ikuko shook her head. "Really, that boy... Usagi, honey, hurry up with your breakfast. You won't be late again when Sonic comes to fetch you, right?"

"Aaaah, Mrs. T, that wouldn't really matter," a cocky voice came from the door that Shingo had left open. "I can run pretty fast, you know?"

Ikuko giggled. "I know, Sonic, I know... good morning, by the way! Do you want some cereals?"

The blue hedgehog shook his head. "Nah, I already had lunch... got it? Lunch! Hee hee, that was a joke."

Usagi sweat-dropped. "Sonic, you better leave the jokes to Charmy..."

"Hey Usagi," he shouted. "Ready to jet to school?"

She giggled. "Well, I had no breakfast, so..." She looked at her watch. "GAH! I'm so late! Ohmygod, we're never gonna make it!"

"Relax," Sonic grinned. "There's no rush... Well, on the other hand... THIS will be a rush!" And he wound up his legs, quickly grabbed Usagi and her schoolbag and zoomed out of the door.

They zoomed over the streets, around the corners, through various gardens. Sonic even bounced off a flagpole once.

When they reached school, the blue blur skidded to a stop. He put the slightly dizzy Usagi back on her feet. "There! What did I tell ya? With me, you're never gonna be late again!"

Usagi looked at the school clock. "Wow! Five minutes until classes start. That's really a new record. Well done, Sonic!"

He smirked. "Anytime! See ya tomorrow, right?"

"Okay, bye!" She watched him as he ran past the corner.

Her human friend Naru stepped up next to her. "Wow, Usagi, your boyfriend really is speedy. Wish you met him earlier, right?"

Usagi blushed. "Naru, it's not like that... he's not my boyfriend. He... just helped me because he's a friend."

Naru nodded knowingly. "Yeah, right! Come on, or we'll be late after all."

----

Sonic skidded to a stop when suddenly, a pink figure stepped into his way. "AH-HA! So here you are, mister! You know, that girl has two feet on her own, so why don't you let her walk to school for once?"

Sonic smiled nervously. "Hello, Amy! Why, what a surprise... are you mad?"

Amy Rose was downright steaming. "Sonic, stay away from that blonde little klutz, you hear me? She's clumsy, she's a crybaby, she's a glutton... and most important, you're MY Sonic!"

Sonic sweat-dropped. "Amy, I like you very much. Very, very much, really... But you are NOT, I repeat, you're NOT my girlfriend!"

"But Sonic," Amy whined. "We're destined to be together. Since you saved me from Metal Sonic, I dream only about you. And you deserve better than that little crybaby of a hedgehog."

Sonic smirked. "Amy..."

"What?"

"You're jealous..."

"Am not!"

"Suuuure you aren't!"

Amy crossed her arms. "Well, it's true."

Sonic shook his head. "Amy, honestly... I only help Usagi because she once helped Cream against some bullies, okay? She's a friend, nothing more. Now would you excuse me, I have a date with some chili-dogs. Later!" And he zoomed off.

Amy sighed. "I wish I could believe you, Sonic..."

----

Deep inside his hidden base, the Final Egg, a self-proclaimed ultimate genius was starting his new plot against his arch-nemesis, a certain blue hedgehog...

"If these stone tablets are correct," Dr. Robotnik alias Eggman muttered. "The ancient god of destruction is called Chaos... and hides inside the Master Emerald. Well, if only Knuckles knew..." He snickered. "Metal Sonic, this will be my ultimate plan to defeat Sonic and build my own city, Robotnikland!"

"Only if he doesn't find the Chaos Emeralds first," the blue robot pointed out. Eggman angrily smacked him on the head. "Do you have to spoil my fun that early?"

Metal Sonic snickered as best as a robot could. "Well, you see, it's a hobby of mine..."

Eggman shook his head. "Go and take care of the new robot project."

Metal Sonic nodded and left the room.

Dr. Eggman went back to his calculations until, after some minutes, a door opened behind him. "Papa? Are you still up?"

The doctor jumped and turned around. "Hotaru, don't scare your father like that."

The violet-haired girl giggled. "Sorry, papa! But you know, you shouldn't stay up that late. It's not healthy. If you have hard work to do, your robots can handle it, right?"

Eggman sighed. "Look, sweetie... your papa has important things to take care of, and he has to concentrate hardly, you understand?"

Hotaru nodded. "You're not planning of defeating that nice Mr. Sonic again, do you?"

Eggman nearly chocked on his own mustache. Sometimes, he could swear that his little girl could read his mind. "W-what makes you think that, Hotaru? I know you're friends with that little fox-boy, right? So why wouldn't I want to do something to his best friend?"

"Because you always say he's going to pay for it, every time he defeats you?"

Dr. Eggman just groaned.

----

While Sonic was searching for something to eat - he wished he had accepted Mrs. Tsukino's offer - he nearly ran into his two-tailed buddy. "Tails! Good to see you, buddy! Where have you been?"

"Sonic!" Tails seemed pretty excited. "Do you remember Ami?"

Sonic scratched his head? "Huh? Amy? As in 'pink hedgehog girl that follows me everywhere and is mighty jealous of Usagi even regarding the fact that she's NOT my girlfriend'? That Amy?"

Tails shook his head. "Not Amy Rose! Ami, spelled with an 'I'! You know... Ami Prower, my big sister!"

"Aaaah," Sonic shouted. "Now I gotcha. Isn't she the clever blue fox that you always babble with about your gadgets and inventions? She's a computer nerd, isn't she?"

Tails frowned. "Sonic, you're talking about my sister here. Yeah, I mean her! She's back in town, you know? She went to Europe for a student exchange program. She was so excited to see me again... Oh, I told her she could take a look at the Tornado, is that okay? It's your plane, after all."

Sonic nodded. "Sure, no problem. But wait a minute... I thought she was a computer whiz. Aren't mechanical things your specialty?"

"Well, that's true, but she also wanted to see if she could install some kind of on-board computer, as a navigation system, you know?"

"Hey, sounds pretty cool. Your sis really knows her stuff, right? So, what are you working on at the moment?"

Tails' tails twirled around in excitement. "Well, I'm testing out this new power supply of mine... if it works, we can fly a plane without having to worry about fuel any more. Wouldn't that be great? I already built a small plane which I'm going to use as a test. But I need some stuff from the store, so I have to hurry, or they close."

"Okay!" Sonic waved after his fox-friend. "But tell me how it works, right? Oh, and tell the computer whiz I said hi!"

----

The blue, robotic hedgehog approached the cage. "Well, how are we today, kittycat?" he mocked. "Missing your white-furred tomcat?"

The black cat (a normal, four-legged cat with a crescent moon symbol on her forehead) stood up and hissed. "Spare me your dirty jokes, Mamoru! Where did you take Artemis?"

The robot seemed to frown. "Don't call me that anymore! I'm Metal Sonic now! And I live only to serve my master!"

"You're a traitor! You're supposed to assist our princess in her fight against evil... and here you are, working together with an evil man like Robotnik!"

Metal Sonic shook his head. "You shouldn't be so rude, Luna," he said. "I thought you wanted to see your friend..."

"Where did you take Artemis?" Luna demanded to know. "What did you do with him?"

"Well, why don't you see for yourself?"

The door to the cell block opened again, and a white robot with stilt-like legs and cannons instead of hands stomped inside. On his chest plate, the numbers 'E101' were being written.

Metal Sonic made a gesture towards the white robot. "Say hello to your boyfriend, Luna... the ex-tomcat!"

In a mechanical voice, the robot spoke: "Unit E-101, code name: Beta, ready for instructions!"

Luna gasped as she recognized the voice. "Artemis! What did he do to you?"

Metal Sonic laughed. "He can't hear you, Luna... All he can hear now are Dr. Eggman's orders... and mine!" He pointed to the black cat. "Bring her to the machine room!"

"Yes sir," E-101 Beta replied. "I will comply." He turned his right cannon into a pincer-like hand and grabbed the mooncat. Ignoring her cries of protest, he carried her to the chamber, where she would become a servant of Robotnik... like he became himself!

----

"Gwaaaaaahh!" With a loud cry, the red echidna and self-proclaimed guardian of the Master Emerald flew out of the little hut.

A female echidna of a similar red quills came storming after him. "How dare you peeking at me when I'm taking a bath? You pervert!"

Knuckles rubbed his chin. "Hey, I didn't want... I just wanted to... Your grandfather wanted you to watch over the emerald while I'm going hunting."

"What a great excuse," Rei huffed. And stormed inside the hut.

'Man,' Knuckles thought. 'What a fury... If she weren't the last female of my tribe, I would have kicked her off my island a long time ago.'

In truth, it was really Rei's grandfather who was the official emerald guardian... and Knuckles was just his apprentice. And while the old man hoped that one day, the two youngsters would continue the echidna line, both of them resented each other deeply.

----

Rei angrily stomped back into her room to put on her top and skirt. That peeping tom... Luckily she was wearing her underwear, at least. If he had caught her NAKED...

And the nerve of that hentai! Why was he walking around naked all day anyway? And his shoes really didn't count...

----

Like a parachute, the sneaky bat-thief soared through the fresh spring air, heading towards the big, floating island in front of her. She was the best of the best... no one had ever been able to catch her.

Well, okay... it was her first single raid, but her mentor taught her everything she needed to know.

Skillfully, the blonde bat landed on the small hut's roof. She didn't want to alarm the residents...

Minako just hoped Rei wouldn't recognize her under her mask. They knew Rouge was an old friend of Minako's dead mom, but she really didn't tell her friends that she was a thief trainee...

And Rouge just had to choose a gem that was situated on Angel Island, the home of one of her best friends. Tough luck...

Well, at least she only had to steal that big, shiny emerald. Imagine Rouge wanted her to steal Rei's transformation pen. That would really have been an awkward situation. But no one would miss one single, simple emerald, right? Right!

Minako looked at the shrine and the big, green jewel resting on its top. That red bully that was living here too just went into the jungle. Now was her chance... She made a step...

...and crashed right through the straw roof.

Rei just felt something extremely heavy fall on her head, then the world became a chaotic vortex of straw and bat wings.

Minako spit out some straw and shook her head. Rei showed a red wing out of her face and ripped off the intruders mask.

And got even angrier when she realized who it was.

"MINAKO!"

"Hehehe... oops," Minako giggled.

----

Makoto hummed as she dusted off her bookshelves. Most people resented housework, but for her, it was really no problem. After she finished, she went into the kitchen to prepare the lunch boxes she promised the other Senshi to bring along to their next meeting.

'Oh,' she then realized. 'I have no carrots left. Well, I just have to quickly go over to the market and buy some.'

As she was a rabbit, there were carrots in her house almost anytime.

She took off her apron and prepared to go. She opened her apartment door...

...and instantly got greeted by a light blue face with a happy, happy smile that launched itself into her face.

"CHAO!"

Makoto let out a little scream and jumped back. She panted.

A high voice let out a giggle. "Please excuse Cheese. But he is almost as happy to see you as I am."

Makoto looked down and saw her little cousin Cream smiling up at her. The cute little rabbit with her orange dress and the little pet Chao named Cheese always visited her on Saturdays. Makoto moaned. How could she have forgotten?

Cream hugged her big cousin around her waist. "Hi, Makoto!"

Makoto smiled and petted Cream affectionately on the head. "Hey there, kiddo! What's up?"

Cream stepped back and pulled out a plastic bag. "I brought you some carrots. Mom bought too many, so she thought I could see if you need some."

Makoto took the carrots from her cousin and nodded. "Thanks, Cream! I was just going to the market to buy some. I was preparing some lunch boxes for my friends, and I just noticed I was totally out of carrots."

"Oh, you're cooking?" said the cute rabbit in excitement. "Can I help?"

Cream was always eager to help others, but Makoto had to admit, she WAS a great help in the kitchen. Much better than Usagi or Minako...

So she nodded and said: "Okay, come in then! We're gonna make the most delicious lunch my friends have ever tasted, right?"

Cream giggled and jumped up in the air. "Yay!"

"Chao!" Cheese added.

Well, he couldn't really say anything else...

----

In the dark cellar, colorful flashlights blinked and flashed. On the small podium, four figures were swaying to the rhythm they were creating with their instruments.

A purple chameleon was strumming his electric guitar, a small bee was hitting his drums with enthusiasm, a turquoise-skinned dolphin girl was brandishing her violin, and the big crocodile in front held up the microphone to his powerful jaws.

"One, two, three..." the dolphin said in her melodic voice.

And while the band members played their instruments, the mighty croc sang into his mike:

"Once upon a time, you could be a bad guy and you'd live to see another day.

But now you'd never manage, Boy, you'd be BRAIN DAMAGED just to think that you could get away.

The power has arrived in a dream team. A force where one and one makes three.

And when the..."

Suddenly, the green reptile grabbed his head and shouted: "CHARMY! I told you not to beat your drums too loudly. Feeling, little guy, feeling! You're destroying my groove!"

The little bee put down his drums and mocked: "You're destroying my groove. Blah, blah, blah! What's wrong with whooping it up a little, Vector?"

And while Vector and Charmy continued to bicker, the chameleon let out a sigh and said: "I guess this will take a while. Care to join me for a drink, Michiru?"

The dolphin-girl smiled. "Sure."

Espio led her to the little liqueur cabinet of the Chaotix that was mostly for when Vector had a bad day. But after Michiru and her... partner had become part of the music band / detective agency, most of the bottles got empty pretty quickly.

Espio opened the cabinet and sighed again. "Michiru, please tell Haruka that those drinks aren't cheap and that we barely make enough money to pay the rent."

Michiru giggled. "I'll talk to her."

He poured some brandy and gave it to her. "Cheers!"

She took it. "Thanks... you're not drinking?"

He shook his head. "I'm a ninja. I have to clear my body and mind."

"Oh. Well, okay then." She took a small sip. "It was really great of you guys for letting us stay in your apartment, by the way."

Espio shrugged. "Don't mention it. Besides, you ARE a great addition to our band, even if mixing rock music with a violin is somewhat... unusual. But the results I like."

By then, Vector's mighty voice yelled: "I DON'T CARE IF BRUCE LEE DOES THE SAME! YOU JUST KEEP DRUMMING, AND PUT SOME EMOTION IN IT, OKAY?"

Michiru shook her head. "You know, your leader is kinda cranky sometimes... just like Haruka can be."

"Where is she, anyways?" the chameleon ninja asked curiously.

Michiru took another sip. "She wanted to get some fishes for the two of us, for tomorrow's lunch."

Espio blinked. "But she left her wallet here. How is she going to...?"

----

The sleek, humanoid cheetah crouched down next to the river, her tail waving through the air impatiently. "Come on, you stupid fish! Jump up again!"

Next to her, a huge, fat cat was sitting and holding a fishing rod. "Ssshhh," he made. "You're scaring the fishies."

Haruka snarled. That guy with his slow way of talking was getting on her nerves. But that was HER favorite fishing spot.

When the fish jumped up again, she quickly tried grabbing it. But again, it slipped out of her paws. "Damn!"

Big the Cat looked at her and said. "You know, it would be much easier if you would use a fishing rod."

The cheetah tomboy huffed. "Please! Everyone can use a fishing rod. But it takes skill to catch them with your bare hands!"

Big looked around. "Um, Froggy? Where are you? Hey, have you seen my little buddy?"

Haruka didn't pay attention. She could see the fish rising to the surface again. She got ready for action. And when the fish jumped out, she downright lunged for it.

Only that it was a big, green frog instead of a fish.

Haruka blinked in surprise and forgot to keep her balance. When it was too late, she flailed wildly with her arms and fell down into the river with a big 'SPLASH'!

The frog hopped out of the water and on his buddy's head.

"Froggy!" Big said happily. "There you are!"


	4. Heart Crystals and Chaos Emeralds

In another part of the city, inside a gloomy laboratory.

In front of several test-tubes, a tall man wearing a lab coat was standing. He had white hair, but his face was shrouded in shadows. The lenses of his glasses were shining as he inspected the strange-colored gem in his hands.

"Kaolinite," he called.

A beautiful woman with pale skin, wearing another lab coat over her red dress, stepped into the room. "Yes, Professor Tomoe?"

"Just where did you find this interesting gem?"

Kaolinite smiled. "Under some bushes in the park. A dog had digged it up."

Tomoe held up the yellow gem. "It contains a most intriguing source of power, almost... chaotic! But it is very, very powerful... perhaps it will help us bring our master to Earth. Its power exceeds that of a heart crystal, that's for sure. But who knows if other gems like this exist...?"

"Professor, leave it to me. I'll go and find out. And if there are more like it... I will bring them to you."

The professor nodded. "Good, good... And don't forget to harvest more heart crystals. If this strange gem seems to be the only one of its kind, we have to use them like we intended to."

Kaolinite bowed. "I won't fail you, Professor!" She got ready to leave.

"Oh, Kaolinite?" the scientist called her.

She turned around. "Yes?"

"Have you already found a trace of Mistress 9's host?"

Kaolinite gulped. "N-no, Professor... But, I'm sure I'll find her pretty soon."

The professor's glasses glimmered. "I hope so, for your sake. It would be most annoying if I had to bother the Witches 5 with this task. You know what I mean?"

"Y-yes, professor! Of course!"

Tomoe grinned. "Excellent! Now, leave and go looking for the gems." He held up the yellow Chaos Emerald. "If there are more of these out there, I think I'll start my own little collection."

And he reared back his head and laughed maniacally. "BWAHAHAHAHAH! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAH!"

----

Kaolinite appeared in the top of a tall building. She was sweating. If the professor was unsatisfied, she would be in big trouble... so she had to make sure to find more of those gems, collect many heart crystals AND find the host of Mistress 9.

Life could be so cruel.

Well, at least the professor had created a new daimon egg that was already going for a suitable person with a pure heart.

----

The strange-looking white capsule floated over the city, out into the wilderness and towards the Mystic Ruins. Here, it approached a certain little workshop situated on a hill. It entered through a window and landed on top of a grey-colored plane that was waiting for its test ride. Slowly, the daimon egg got absorbed into the plane's surface.

Next to the grey plane, another plane was standing, red with two fox tails on its backside. From inside the cockpit, a blue-furred fox-girl looked up and peered around the room.

"I thought I heard something," Ami Prower murmured before shrugging and going back to work on the computer system she was going to build into the Tornado.

The doors leading to the hangar opened. "Sis, I'm back," the young fox shouted.

Ami appeared from the Tornado's cockpit. "Hey there, bro," she said. "I almost finished attaching the computer to your friend's plane, I only have to install the software. Using this, he just has to input a place that is in the database, and the computer will show him the fastest way to get there."

Tails grinned. "Well, the most quickest way would be if Sonic runs there. But as Eggman often builds flying fortresses, we need this plane. But thanks anyway, Ami."

The blue-furred fox twirled around her two tails. "Anytime, Tails! Well, I have to finish this tomorrow. I have to go to the meeting with my friends, most of them have to learn for their exams, and without my aid, they can be pretty hopeless."

Tails laughed. He knew Usagi pretty well. "I can imagine. See ya later, sis!"

As his sister left the room, he put down his toolbox next to the grey plane... and pulled out a Chaos Emerald. The red one.

"Okay," he smiled. "Let's see if you work as well as I'm hoping. You seem to have unlimited powers... so when I use you to power up the new plane, it won't need any fuel."

He attached the emerald to its place in front of the propeller. "There," he said while admiring his work. "That should be sufficient."

He jumped in and started the engine. Powered by the emerald, the plane's propeller rapidly began spinning.

"Away we go," Tails shouted, as the plane rolled out of the hangar and slowly began ascending into the air.

----

Everything went great, until they flew over Station Square. Suddenly, the whole plane started to glow. "Uh-oh," Tails shouted. "What's this?"

And all around its little pilot, the plane began changing shape. Under the wings, arms appeared, and the landing gear turned into shapely, female legs. The propeller was situated on the creature's chest, while on its head, a hard helmet appeared. Tails had only time to hang onto the creature's wings as it shouted:

"CYCLONE!"

'Oh my god,' Tails thought. 'That was amazing! I wonder how this is possible. Is it a reaction of the Chaos Emerald?'

It doesn't look like it, as the daimon ripped the red gem off its chest and smiled. "This will be a nice present for my mistress," she grinned. "But first, I need your pure heart."

The daimon Cyclone suddenly turned around and nearly threw Tails off. She spread out her arms and wings and dove towards the coastline, next to the Station Square Hotel.

"Whaaaaaaah!" Tails shouted as the daimon's speed increased. "Stop it! We're gonna crash! Mayday! Mayday!"

Cyclone turned around her head. "We're landing shortly... please do NOT fasten your seat belts. He, he, he..."

Cyclone had planned to just ram her small passenger into one of the palm trees. But just before this happened, Tails kicked her on the head and began twirling his tails. Flying up like a tiny helicopter, he was able to land safely on the beach.

Unfortunately, Cyclone miscalculated her flight angle because of that kick and crashed right into a palm tree.

"Phew," Tails said. "That was close."

The daimon got up and rubbed her head. "Grrrr," she snarled. "That hurt!"

Tails gulped. That looked like trouble.

----

Sonic was just relaxing at the hotel's swimming pool, as he saw Tails and Cyclone coming down. He winced as he heard the crash and groaned. "Oh man, Tails... have you gotten yourself in trouble again, little buddy?" And he ran to the crash site with Sonic speed.

----

As Angel Island was a little hard to reach, the Senshi meetings were being held in Makoto's apartment, which was situated near the train station.

Rei still glared at Minako, which made the blonde bat wince. "I still don't know what's worse: The fact that Rouge wants to train you to become a master thief or that you actually like the idea. And you wanted to steal the Master Emerald, of all things!"

Minako grimaced and bowed her head again and again. "Sorrysorrysorry, I'm so sorry! Won't happen again! I just didn't know that it was that important."

"It's not only important," Rei snapped. "It's the only thing that keeps our whole island floating. If you had stolen it, the island had crashed down into the sea, together with you and me!"

"Wow," Makoto said while nibbling on a carrot. "Your job as one of its protectors must be pretty hard, Rei."

Usagi grinned. "Can that stone also make my homework finish itself on its own? That would be cool."

Ami shook her head. "Usagi, you just have to study harder," the blue fox scolded the hedgehog. "How do you plan on saving the world, if you can't even handle simple Algebra?"

"Algebra?" Usagi asked featherbrained. "Is that some kind of animal?"

The others just sighed.

'I miss Luna,' Usagi thought. 'She would have immediately scolded me for that... but I still somehow miss her voice.'

Suddenly, they all heard a loud crash coming from the beach.

They all looked up. "A daimon?" Makoto asked.

"Perhaps," Rei replied. "But we should take a look anyways. If it was a plane that crashed, there may be injured people."

Usagi munched on her lunch. "Man, always when I'm eating," she mumbled with a full mouth.

----

When Sonic arrived at the scene, he could see Tails kneeling next to the hotel's wall. The daimon had knocked him back.

Cyclone grinned. "And now, for your heart crystal..." She opened a little lid over her stomach and uncovered a small black star that was situated directly on her skin. A beam of black light shot out of the star and hit Tails directly on his chest.

When he heard his little buddy scream, Sonic snarled and rushed into battle.

----

Haruka angrily shook the water out of her fur. This wasn't her lucky day. She didn't even manage to catch one single fish.

She mounted her trusty motorcycle and got ready to drive home... that means, to the Chaotix' apartment.

When she suddenly heard the loud crash coming from the beach.

Haruka thought about it. She preferred riding her bike, but she would be faster if she just ran on foot. And she had to get Michiru before she could check it out.

She let the motorbike stand where it was and grumbled: "Don't let anyone steal you, got it?" Then she started running.

Her speed wasn't nearly as formidable as that of the local hero number one, Sonic the Hedgehog, but she was faster than every human she had met up to now. Espio was as fast as her, as they found out in a racing contest.

She reached the apartment block, jumped down into the cellar and looked around. Vector and Charmy were still arguing, but Michiru was conversing with Espio.

Haruka coughed to get Haruka's attention, then gestured towards the door with her head.

Michiru frowned, but put down her glass and got up. "Is something the matter?" Espio asked. Michiru shrugged. "I guess it's important. Haruka always gets cranky if she has to wait for something, so I better see what's up. See you later!"

Espio watched the dolphin as she ran out of the door. Sometimes, those two acted strange...

----

Sonic dodged a propeller blade as the daimon fired one after another at him. "Too slow, you tin can," he shouted. "Even Big would have dodged that. I would advise trying something else."

Cyclone got angry. "Well, if you insist..." And she let the propeller on her chest spin rapidly. Caught by surprise by the gust of wind, Sonic nearly lost his footing. "Whoa, nice breeze. But a little drafty. I better close the window." And he sped towards the daimon to hit it with a Homing Attack.

Only to be hit with another propeller blade she had hurled at him. She snarled. "Now stay down, you pesky rodent!"

"Hey, hedgehogs are no rodents..." Sonic murmured while trying to get up. The daimon returned her attention to the heart crystal that was floating over Tails' chest.

She grinned. "Your friend's heart seems to be very pure. It will provide us with a remarkable amount of energy."

"No one's... going to steal Tails' heart," the blue hedgehog muttered, before another gust of wind blasted him back to the ground.

"Please, do not disturb me while I'm working," Cyclone said. She turned back to Tails' unmoving body.

"STOP IT RIGHT THERE!" an angry voice yelled.

Cyclone looked up. "Who's there?"

On a balcony of the hotel, five humanoid animals wearing Senshi fukus were standing. The blonde hedgehog that seemed to be their leader pointed at her with a finger. "This little boy's heart is filled with friendship towards his friends. He enjoys working on machines and testing them. And you want to steal his heart? I don't think so! We're the Sailor Senshi and don't like your attitude. I'm Sailor Moon, and in the name of the moon... I'm going to punish you!"

Sonic looked at the five warrior girls. "So, those are the Sailor Senshi they always talk about on TV, huh?" he murmured. "I don't know if they can beat that thing, but they better quit giving such long speeches."

Cyclone snarled. "Damn! Sailor Moon! You won't defeat me as you did with the other daimons!" And she sent several propeller blades at the Senshi.

The furry protectors of the Earth jumped into the air. Two of them let their magic attacks fly at the daimon.

"Fire Soul!"

"Crescent Beam!"

Cyclone managed to dodge the fire attack, but Sailor Venus' beam hit her on the arm, so she had to drop the crystal. It floated to the ground.

Mercury gasped. "I have to get the crystal back," she shouted. "Cover me!"

While the others restrained the daimon, the blue-furred senshi twirled around her tails and flew towards the heart crystal. But before she could grab it, an orange blur zoomed past her and snatched it.

"Wha...?" she said.

Cheetah Uranus hold up the crystal. "I'll be taking that. Just have to check if it's a talisman. Thank you!"

"No," Ami shouted. "If we don't put it back, the boy could die." She was really worried about her brother.

Then, the dolphin of Neptune jumped in front of her. "I'll take care of her, Uranus," she said. "Get the heart crystal away from here, we'll check it later."

Sailor Uranus nodded. "Got it." And she started running.

Sonic growled. "Oh no, you don't." And he ran after her.

Cyclone barely registered the two speedsters getting away with the heart crystal. "No! That's mine!"

"Oh, shut up," Jupiter the Rabbit shouted. "Sparkling Wide Pressure!"

The lightning attack hit the daimon in the chest. Cyclone screamed and let the Chaos Emerald drop to the ground. "Now's your chance, Sailor Moon," Jupiter shouted.

Sailor Moon raised her wand. "MOON SPIRAL HEART ATTACK!"

Cyclone screamed again as the hearts hit her and turned her body back into a plane. The daimon egg fell to the ground and cracked open. A dark shadow flew out of it and vanished.

----

The chase between Uranus and Sonic took them through the whole city. By now, they had reached the impressive highway called 'Speed Highway'. Uranus looked back. "World Shaking!" But she wasn't used to attack while running, so she missed the speedy hedgehog entirely.

Sonic smirked while he collected the rings. Those girls seemed to be able to use magics without needing rings, so he was happy that she left more for him. "So you wanna cheat, huh?" he smirked. "Well, I've got just the thing for you... Sonic Wind!"

He used the rings' magic to create a vortex of blue wind that surrounded the cheetah. The good thing of that attack: It almost never missed. Uranus yelled in anger as the hit caused her to drop the heart crystal. It nearly fell of the highway.

But Sonic snatched it in time. "Gotcha!" He skidded to a stop and smirked. "I'd love to race you some more, but I have a heart to deliver. See ya!" And he zoomed back to the coast.

Uranus growled angrily.

----

Uranus breathed deeply as she vanished into the dark back alley.

Neptune was waiting for her. "The heart crystal?"

Uranus shook her head. "I'm sorry... I couldn't do anything. That blue hedgehog got it."

Neptune frowned. "Aren't cheetahs supposed to be the fastest animals on Earth?"

Uranus growled. "Tell that to this damn hedgehog. He was also able to attack me with some magic. But he clearly was nothing like a Senshi. I wonder if it has to do with those rings..."

Neptune nodded. "Yeah, I always wondered why they were lying around everywhere. Well, maybe next time."

They dropped their Senshi magic and turned back to their civilian selves.

"That fox... somehow I pitied him," Michiru said in a small voice. "He was still so young."

Haruka shook her head. "We cannot afford any pity. We have to find the three talismans, or the world is doomed."

"Now, that is pretty interesting," a calm voice said to their right. "And would you tell me what's so important about those talismans that you are willing to sacrifice lives?"

Haruka and Michiru were startled when suddenly, Espio appeared out of thin air. They totally forgot his ability to turn invisible.

"What...? How long have you been standing here?" Haruka asked in surprise.

Espio looked at her. "Long enough... Sailor Uranus! I suppose you won't just stop endangering helpless people just for a chance to find those talismans you talked about, right?"

"You don't understand," Michiru said in a quiet voice. "Those talismans... if we don't find them, the Earth will be destroyed by the Silence."

Espio raised a non-existing eyebrow. "Interesting," he said. "But I'm afraid saving the world normally would include protecting their inhabitants... and that's exactly the opposite from what you're doing."

"Espio, you won't stop us." Haruka said. "You're a nice guy, but you just don't know what you're talking about." She reached for her transformation pen.

But it wasn't there. "What?"

Espio raised the two pens and smirked. "Are you looking for this? Before you get them back, I suggest we should talk a little. Do you disagree?"

"Give those back," Michiru shouted. "We're the only ones that can find the talismans!"

The chameleon sighed. "You aren't making this very easy, you know? Well, think about it first. I'll be waiting for you at our apartment. If I really can't convince you, I'll give them back to you. I swear it on my honor as a ninja."

Michiru stepped back. She knew he wouldn't make jokes about his ninja heritage. "All right, agreed. But give us some time to think this through, okay?"

He smiled. "That's exactly what I want you to do. See you later..." And he vanished in a swirl of air and leaves.

"What should we do now?" Haruka asked.

Michiru shook her head. "I wonder... perhaps he's right."

"What are you saying?" the cheetah shouted. "You are the one that told me that the Silence will destroy the Earth when our enemies get the Holy Grail, right?"

"Yes, that's true," Michiru said. "But... perhaps there are other ways of finding the talismans. We really don't know much about it. And relying on the hearts our enemies take from their victims isn't really the best method, don't you agree?"

Haruka sighed. "Perhaps, perhaps... Well, we should talk to Espio. Maybe he and his friends can help us, after all."

The elegant dolphin nodded. "Yes, that's what I'm thinking too. Let's go."

----

Tails stood up. "Whoa, what happened?"

Sonic smiled at him. "You're lucky I and those Sailor Senshi were around, buddy. That plane monster almost got your heart."

Tails gasped. His hands flew to his chest. "My... heart?"

Sonic nodded. "Yeah, she turned it into some kind of crystal, and some crazy cheetah-girl wanted to steal it away from you... but I got it back. And the monster is toast, too."

Tails smiled. "Thanks, Sonic. What would I do without a friend like you?" He looked around. "Where are the Senshi? I want to thank them too."

Sonic shrugged. "Dunno. When they saw that you're all right, they vanished. But they were pretty worried about you. The blue fox-girl especially made sure that I'm taking good care of you."

"Blue fox-girl? You don't mean...?"

Sonic shook his head. "Nah, can't be your sister. Ami looks totally different from that fox. She only has the same fur color. But what surprised me most is that one of those girls was an echidna. I thought Knuckles, his girlfriend and the old guy were the last remaining of their tribe. Have to ask him if it's possible that some of them are hiding somewhere." He picked up the Chaos Emerald. "What about that thing? The Senshi said it would be safe if we guard it from evil guys like that."

Tails nodded. "I think they're right. I have to think about it, though... I don't know if I'm going to use it as a power source after all this."

----

The Senshi had returned to Makoto's apartment. "Is it really okay to leave that emerald with Sonic?" Usagi asked.

Rei nodded. "It's okay. He used them before. And something tells me that he somehow is destined to protect them, just as our tribe protects the Master Emerald."

"Master Emerald... Chaos Emerald..." Ami thought aloud. "You think there's a connection?"

Rei shrugged. "Perhaps. But we should concentrate on our enemies. And we still couldn't find Luna."

"And Artemis," Minako agreed. "I wonder where they are..."

----

"Excellent," Dr. Eggman grinned. "All systems, full power!"

The red robot looked around the room. "Look at me," Eggman shouted. "I'm your creator, the cunning Dr. Robotnik. You will obey only me. You're the second one of my E-100 model machines. Code name: Gamma!"

"Gamma!" the robot repeated in a female voice. It was looking exactly like Beta, only red instead of white. And on its chest, the number 'E100' was written.

And while the new robot called E-102-Gamma prepared to follow his master's first order, a black cat that was imprisoned within its metal frame was crying to be let out.


	5. Releasing Chaos

Knuckles was sitting on the stairs leading to the shrine of the Master Emerald. Behind him, the giant jewel gleamed in its mystical aura. Knuckles felt at peace with himself, with his surroundings. He was doing his job, and as long as no one would be able to steal the emerald, his purpose as a guardian was served.

Grandfather Hino left the hut and looked at the stars. "Knuckles, I'm going to bed. Looks like Rei is going to be late again. Make sure to guard the shrine until she takes over, okay?"

Knuckles just nodded. He didn't need the guidelines of some old geezer or his violent daughter. He really didn't like it how they settled down on his island as if was theirs. Sure, they were the last echidnas, along with him, but he was the first guardian. Angel Island was and stayed Knuckles' home. He was a little relieved when he found out that he wasn't the last of his tribe, but after he got to know the two of them better, he really wished they had left him alone.

After the old echidna went back into the hut, some time passed. Rei was really late today. After a while, Knuckles' tummy began rumbling.

'Damn,' he thought. 'I'm really hungry.' He stood up. 'Good thing I left some of the fruits we had for lunch today.'

He went down the stairs to fetch his bag. With a full stomach, he would do his job more effeciently.

----

Without being noticed by the guardians of the floating island, an enormous battleship had approached the island from behind. For a ship of its size, the Egg Carrier could fly very stealthily. But they also had the island's mountain as additional protection, so Dr. Eggman really didn't need to be that careful.

The rest of the job was lying in the hands of his two new robots. This was their chance to prove their worth to their master.

"All right," the egg-shaped scientist told Beta and Gamma. "Your job will be either to bring me the Master Emerald, or, if that turns out to be impossible, to find a way to release the ancient being trapped inside. And most important, don't let the echidnas find you! Understood?"

The E-Series robots saluted with their weapons. "Affirmative!"

----

As stealthy as two heavy robots could be, Beta and Gamma left the Egg Carrier and walked through the jungle. As this mission required stealth, they didn't fire their weapons.

After some time, they reached the wide clearing with the shrine and the Master Emerald on its top.

Gamma looked out of the bushes. "Scanning for vital signs! Echidna life form detected at eleven o'clock!" ('Let me check if the coast is clear, Artemis! Be careful, there's that red echidna Rei lives with!')

Beta's head spun around to the shrine itself. "Direct approach not recommended! Possible seizure of Master Emerald is most improbable! Suggest destruction by ballistic projectiles!" ('Guess we can't just take it then, huh? Time for plan B: Let's blast that thing to pieces!')

If E-102 had a normal face, the robot would very likely have frowned at its white colleague. "Mission instructions included absolute avoidance of being detected! This is a stealth mission! Ballistic weapons are out of the question!" ('Are you crazy? The old egg-head told us clearly not to make too much noise. We can't let them see us! Shoot one missile up there and I'll kick your metal butt to the moon!')

Then, they saw Knuckles going down the stairs of the shrine. He was heading towards the hut to get some food.

"E-102-Gamma's arguments do not compute! Echidna life form leaving surrounding area! Initiating missile launch!" ('Don't be silly, Luna! This is our big chance! Look, the echidna is going inside. Let's blast that thing!')

Beta raised it's gun arm while Gamma tried to interfere: "E-101-Beta, abort launch!" ('Artemis, you idiot! Stop it!')

The miniature missile flew through the night air and headed straight for the shrine.

And with a loud 'CRASH', it shattered the Master Emerald into dozens of pieces that flew away in every possible direction.

"Mission completed! Suggesting tactical retreat!" ('Easy as pie! Now let's get to that old scientist to report.')

Gamma looked at Beta. "E-101-Beta, your actions are most illogical! After this unit's power source has been removed, prepare for facing the consequences!" ('Artemis, you're the biggest jerk I've ever seen! Once Usagi finds a way to free us, you're going to be in so much trouble...')

And the two robots got ready to return to the Egg Carrier.

----

Knuckles was just reaching for his food bag, when he suddenly heard a big crash coming from outside. "What the..." He hurried outside.

On the top of the shrine, he could find almost no trace of the Master Emerald. Only some green shards were lying on the ground. "Who did this?" he shouted angrily.

Grandfather Hino came running. "Knuckles, what is...? Oh no, what happened to the Master Emerald?"

"I'm not sure, gramps," Knuckles snarled while looking around. "But I fear that whoever did this is still around here somewhere."

Suddenly, they heard a strange noise. Somehow, it sounded like the gurgling of a defect drain.

"W-what's that?" Hino-san shouted in a surprised voice. Knuckles turned around. Behind him, a strange puddle of a gel-like substance was slowly growing into a humanoid shape, until a strange being made entirely of that blue liquid was standing before them. The only thing that didn't look blue or made out of water were its green eyes and the brain that was floating around in its head.

"Who are you?" Knuckles shouted angrily. He gestured towards the remains of the Master Emerald. "Did you do that? Ooooh, I'll get you for that!" And he ran towards the strange water creature to hit it with a powerful smack of his fist. But the creature jumped high into the air, over the heads of the two echidnas. Knuckles punch hit empty air, and the force of his attack made him fall to the ground. "Ooof! Hey, no fair!"

Before he could do anything, the figure slowly seemed to melt back into its original shape of a puddle, before seeping into the ground.

Then it was gone.

Grandfather Hino stared at the place where the creature had vanished. "Gee, I wonder what that was... I've never seen anything like it before in my entire life."

They didn't notice the shining ball of light that was floating away from the shrine...

Suddenly, the ground beneath their feet began shaking. "Oh no, it's starting to happen," Knuckles shouted. "Without the Master Emerald's power, this whole island will fall down into the sea. Brace yourself..."

And then all went down...

----

Rei anxiously turned around on Makoto's couch. The tall rabbit peered into the room. "What's wrong, Rei? Can't sleep?"

"I don't know," the echidna-girl sighed. "I just have a bad feeling, that's all. I wonder if it really was okay for me to stay here for the night. I would have called my grandfather, but on the island, we have no electricity. And I can't afford a cell phone..."

"Don't worry," Makoto said. "Perhaps it's just your imagination. After all, Knuckles is the most experienced guardian of you three, and your grandfather is there as well. I'm sure everything is fine."

"I hope you're right," Rei mumbled while closing her eyes. "Good night, Makoto!"

"Good night, Rei!"

----

Night Babylon... the most dubious part of town. There are several normal stores, true, but most of the small district is well-known for it's night clubs, it's dubious dealers and it's street gangs.

As she was mostly safe from all the unpleasant residents of her neighborhood, Rouge the Bat actually liked the atmosphere. Her own little club, 'Club Rouge' was her pride, and in the evenings, it was normally filled with customers.

She financed the club itself, the beverages and her few employees by secretly working for the government, as an international spy. She also was a thief specialized in jewels, but only few people knew that.

One of those people was her apprentice, Minako Aino, who adored her. Since her mother died, she was taking care of the blonde bat-girl. Her father threw her out of his house, because Minako (stupidly) told him of her plans of becoming a thief.

Rouge was proud of the girl, as she was making great progress. Just her clumsiness was making it a little difficult sometimes...

Right now, Rouge was sitting in her private room and relaxed. It was a nice, pleasant evening.

When Minako returned to 'Club Rouge', she instantly went to her instructor and friend. "Hi there, Rouge," she said cheerfully. "Lots of customers tonight, I see?"

"Did you get the Master Emerald?" Rouge asked instantly.

Minako winced. She had been afraid Rouge would ask her that. "No, I didn't... they caught me." She then grimly looked at the older bat. "But you didn't tell me that it was that important for Rei and her tribe. Did you know that without the emerald, their whole floating island would fall down into the ocean?"

Rouge huffed. "Please, Minako! Do you actually believe in that mystical mumbo-jumbo? I bet your echidna friend just told you that so you wouldn't try to steal it anymore."

Minako looked away offended. "Well, I won't steal anything that's important to my friends. Send me to steal any other jewel, not that big green one."

Rouge sighed. Kids and their morals... she'd never understand them. "Fine, fine! Let's talk about that later. Now, go to bed early, we have a job to do tomorrow."

Minako nodded. "Well, okay. Night, Rouge."

After the blonde bat left the room, the older, white-furred bat leaned back into her chair with a sigh. She had dreamed of getting that beautiful emerald. It was so big, and so shiny... she loved looking at it since she saw it for the first time, after landing on the floating island by pure accident. Well, if Minako wouldn't bring it to her... she would try it by herself some time.

Her cell phone beeped. She turned it on and responded: "Hello, Rouge here? ... Well, hi there! Nice hearing from you again! ... Oooh, don't tell me GUN screwed up again... ... So they lost them? Yeah, I had expected something like that. ... So you want me to get them back? ... Okay, I'll do it! The usual fee?" After her conversation partner responded, she smiled. "Well, then consider it done. I'll keep an eye open for them. And remember: I just LOVE sapphires. But say, just who could be skillful enough to break into that facility?"

----

Several GUN soldiers hurried through the streets. "She must be somewhere around here," the captain told his men. "Find her!"

After the troops had left, a dark figure peered out of a narrow alley. She looked down at the three colorful gems in her hands.

"I won't let those GUN idiots keep the Chaos Emeralds... they only do what they think is right. Letting them keep them would be almost as dangerous as just giving them to that Eggman guy."

The dark green hedgehog girl made a fist. "I will find my brother... and until that time has come, I won't let GUN get away with what they did to us!"

----

Chaos was floating through the sewers of the city. He could feel it... somewhere out there, there were some of the Chaos Emeralds. If he found them, he would be one step closer to regaining his true strength.

He heard some human voices on the street above them, so he waited and listened. Afterwards, he slowly slithered up the wall and through the drainage.

----

"Did you find her yet?" the captain asked one of the subordinates.

The soldier shook his head. "No, sir."

"Keep searching! We cannot terrorists like her run loose with such powerful objects. You heard the commander: Failure is not an option!"

"R-right away, sir," the private saluted.

Suddenly, they heard something... it was the sound of something coming out of the sewers. Something that looked like a puddle of water. And then, it changed its shape.

"It's a monster," the private cried out in terror.

"Calm down, soldier," the captain ordered. He pulled out his walkie-talkie. "All soldiers, return to City Hall! We need additional support. That's an order!"

----

Sonic was just speeding home, when he heard gunshots. 'Bank robbers?' he speculated. 'Perhaps the police needs some assistance.' He jumped up towards the building walls and ran past them, pushed himself away from the walls and somersaulted over the incoming army troops.

When he reached the plaza in front of City Hall, he saw the reason for the soldier's alert: It was a tall, humanoid monster made entirely from water. Several soldiers were cornering it.

"You're completely surrounded," the captain just shouted. "Surrender yourself!"

The monster didn't seem to understand him, or it just didn't care. Also, the multiple weapons aimed at its body didn't seem to worry it much. It just growled and took another step towards the soldiers.

"Lock on target, men," the captain ordered. "Get ready... fire!"

And the soldiers opened fire. Thirteen bullets fired by thirteen soldiers hit their target.

But then, the bullets fell down on the ground without having scratched the creature.

"Oh no," one of the soldiers shouted. "Our weapons are useless!"

"Retreat," the captain ordered. "All personnel, fall back!"

And after shooting two additional bullets at the creature, the captain and his men ran away from the scene, while Sonic jumped in front of the monster.

It growled at him with a kinda 'splashy' sounding voice and lashed out with its arm. The arm extended and grew longer as it lashed at the blue hedgehog. Sonic dodged by jumping over it. "Oh yeah," he said. "This could be fun."

Chaos just stared at him. The hatred towards all mortal beings was engraved in his face. He stretched out his arms even further, surrounded them with a magical, burning energy and spun them around while approaching Sonic.

Sonic jumped, skipped and threw himself on the ground to avoid the multiple attacks of his opponent. "You're not from around here, right?" he flippantly said. "If you like, try out the burger stand in the shopping arcade, okay? They make good chili-dogs."

Chaos growled again and concentrated its powers. Then, it hit the earth with a powerful punch. The impact made the ground shake, and it stunned Sonic for several seconds. "Whoa, they didn't tell me about that quake on the radio."

Chaos used that moment to punch Sonic into his face. The hedgehog flew back several feet.

"Now you've done it," he muttered. "You know how expensive a pack of aspirin is? It's highway robbery, I tell ya." He then smirked and launched his body towards the water creature as a ball. And surprisingly enough, it seemed to hurt it.

"Now let's finish this," Sonic said.

But before he could do anything, a dark shadow appeared on the wall that was surrounding the area. "I sense you're a dark creature, filled with anger," a female voice said. "Do not release that anger on the humans. Leave this place now!"

Chaos didn't like the appearance of another intruder, so once again, he lashed out with his arms. The figure simply blocked the punch with both hands and stretched out her right arm. "Chaos Spear!"

A lance of yellow energy shot out of the stranger's palm and hit the water creature. Chaos screamed in pain and decided to retreat. Two powerful opponents were too much for him. He would have to return after gaining his full strength. He returned to his puddle shape and slithered back into the drainage.

"Come on, you big drip," Sonic shouted. "Where are you going?"

"Leave him be," the stranger said. "You won't be able to catch him now."

Sonic looked closer at the figure. It was a female hedgehog with dark green fur. "Who are you?"

The girl smirked. "I am Pluto the Hedgehog... the world's Ultimate Life Form - First Version! I have to go for now... farewell!"

She held up a gem. "Chaos Control!"

And in a flash of light, she was gone.

"Was that... a Chaos Emerald?" Sonic wondered. "Pluto... who is she anyway?"

----

Rei just stared at the enormous rock wall that was in front of her. Normally, when going home, she would see a nice beach with sand and palm trees... now the enormous mountain of Angel Island was rising above her... the Ice Cap!

"How could the island just crash like this?" she murmured. "That must mean... wait a minute! The Master Emerald! Something must have happened to it."

"That's right," a grumpy voice to her right said. "The Master Emerald broke just because YOU couldn't return in time to guard it."

Rei turned around to face Knuckles. "What did you say? Broke? Who did it?"

"I don't know," the male echidna said. "I only know it happened because of YOUR incompetence as a guardian."

"Now just wait a minute," Rei growled. "You may be an unsocial jerk that has no concerns except for guarding the island, but some people on Earth have something called a life, you know? If I stayed on that stupid floating rock for all my life, I would have never met my friends!"

"Perhaps that would have been better, then," Knuckles growled. "I think they distract you from your duties as a guardian! Our ancestors left the Master Emerald for us to protect it from outsiders. And now look at what happened: The island came crashing down, and the emerald got shattered!" He held up several green shards. "I was lucky to find those up to now, but as long as we don't find the others, that means nothing!"

Rei stared at him. "I may have called you, but on your island, there isn't even a phone! Do you think I want to stay on that piece of rock forever? I know I messed up, and I know of my duties... But we are three guardians, so that doesn't mean one can jump in when one of the others fails to attend to his duties. One thing you failed to learn after all these years you spent alone was: teamwork!" She huffed and stormed back towards the train station.

Knuckles looked after her. "Dang... and the worst thing is, part of me believed what she just told me..."

----

When Rei arrived back in Station Square, she returned to Makoto's apartment and knocked on the door.

Makoto opened. "Yes?" Rei sobbed and threw herself into the arms of the taller rabbit.

"That stupid Knuckles! He just blamed me! He has no friends himself and says I should leave you all behind... he doesn't even know my other duties as a Senshi. And now the Master Emerald was shattered, and the island came crashing down, and everything that jerk could do was yell at me." She sniffed at the shoulder of her friend.

Makoto patted the distraught echidna girl on the shoulder. "It's okay, Rei... He's just an insensitive jerk, don't let his words get to you."

"But he's partly right, you know?" Rei mumbled. "Protecting the Master Emerald is almost as important as being Sailor Mars, and I failed to attend to my duties as I should."

"Just come in for a while." Makoto led her friend inside. "A strong cup of tea, and you'll feel better."

Cream came out of the kitchen, followed by the floating Cheese. "Makoto, who's there? Oh, Rei... did something happen? Did you cry?"

Rei smiled. Makoto's little cousin really was sweet. "I'm fine, Cream... I was just upset at some guy..."

"Now, sit down for a while and tell us the whole story, okay?" Makoto said.

After several minutes, Rei had told the two bunnies and the Chao what had happened to the island and the Master Emerald.

"That's terrible," Makoto said. "How many pieces do you think are scattered?"

"I don't know." Rei shook her head. "I just know that we have to find them. The Master Emerald contains massive powers, and even a small shard in the wrong hands could be disastrous."

"Um, are those shards by any chance green and gleaming?" Cream wanted to know.

Rei nodded. "Yes, but how do you know?"

Cream smiled and held up some shining shards. "We found them yesterday at the park and decided to keep them. If you want, you can have them back."

Rei smiled and hugged the little rabbit. "Oh Cream, you're wonderful! You're the sweetest little girl I've ever met."

Cream giggled. "You should thank Cheese! He was the one that found them in a tree."

Rei looked at the little, floating Chao. "Well then, thank you for finding the emerald shards, Cheese! It means a lot to me."

Cheese smiled happily. "Chao!"

----

Knuckles' own search for the emerald pieces led him to Station Square, where he bumped into a certain pink hedgehog girl. She turned around. "Knuckles! Wow, I don't see your face too often in town. What brings you here?"

"Huh? Oh, Amy... well, it's just that the Master Emerald broke into pieces..." He sighed. "And I have to find them all. Just because of that stupid Rei... if she hadn't gone to her friends that evening... the emerald would still be in one piece! Oh man, I already gave her a piece of my mind, but right now I'm still so angry at her... I'd smack her once if she was standing before me."

Amy frowned at hearing that. Then she sighed and pulled out her mallet.

WHAM!

"Ouch!" Knuckles yelled and held his head. "What was that for?"

Amy put back her hammer and shook her head. "Knuckles, you may be a nice guy, but... sometimes, you're just hopeless! Staying around her friends is her way of finding happiness. You always stay up on your island and never meet with friends... I really think that's what makes you distrust everyone. Remember how Eggman tricked you when you first met him, and you thought Sonic was an emerald thief?"

Knuckles groaned. "Please, don't remember me of that..."

"But you should remember it! From what I understood, you hurt Rei's feelings! And a girl's feelings are something very special, Knuckles! And you better remember that, got it? Or I'll pull out my Piko Piko hammer again!"

Knuckles sweat-dropped. "That won't be necessary, I think."

Amy nodded. "Good. Now, go back to Rei, and apologize to her."

"But I have to find the pieces of the..."

"NOW!"

Knuckles gulped. "Yes, ma'am..."

----

Amy Rose shook her head while walking back to her own apartment. Really, that Knuckles... sometimes, he was just as terrible as Sonic. Boys... she would never understand them.

Without her noticing it, some little capsule floated nearby and attached itself to her hammer, which she still hadn't put back into hammer space.

Then it lit up in an eery light. "Whaaah!" Amy shouted and dropped her mallet. "What's going on?"

"PIKOPIKO!"

The mallet grew until it resembled a human wearing a mallet-shaped helmet and gloves with attached mallets on their ends. "Prepare for a pounding," the daimon shouted.

"Eeeek," Amy screamed. "Normally I'm the one doing the pounding..."

PikoPiko smirked. "Then let me return the favor... HA!" And she smacked her giant mallet-head down on the street.

"YIKES!" Amy jumped aside. "You almost flattened me, you creep!"

The daimon laughed. "Well, that was my intention, dear..."

Amy wished she could give that stupid creature a piece of her mind... and some good, old-fashioned malleting.

But sadly, said creature WAS her favorite mallet.

PikoPiko stormed forward again and raised her two mallet-hands. "Now prepare to be pounded!"

"DEEP SUBMERGE!"

A gleaming ball of energy hit the daimon and showered it with water. "Gyaaaah," it screamed. "Who was that?"

The sleek cheetah and the elegant dolphin were standing back to back. "Heralded by..."

A green, scaled hand smacked the cheetah-girl on the head. "Spare us the speeches! Just attack!"

"GERONIMOOO!" a small, hyperactive bee shouted as he dove for the daimon, stinger extended.

"Whaah! Augh! No! Get away! That stings!" the mallet-monster screamed as Charmy buzzed around her and let her taste his stinger multiple times.

On a traffic light, a purple chameleon appeared out of nowhere. "Behold my Ninja power," he shouted and threw several shurikens at the daimon.

PikoPiko swatted the annoying bee away to avoid the shurikens in time. "You all are starting to bug me."

"Hahahaha," Charmy laughed. "That's a good one! Get it? Bug me... and I'm a bee! Hahahaha!"

"I don't think she was joking, Charmy," Vector grumbled.

"You... take this!" the daimon shouted and pounded the floor with both mallet-gloves. Twin shock waves were flying towards the cheetah, crocodile and dolphin. They quickly dodged. "This is how it's done," Sailor Uranus shouted. "World Shaking!"

PikoPiko groaned as the attack threw her off her feet.

"And now to finish them," Vector smiled and scooped Uranus off the ground.

"Wha... hey, lemme go! What's the big idea?"

The big crocodile smiled. He curled the protesting Cheetah up into a ball and carefully put her between his mighty jaws.

'Is he going to eat her?' Amy wondered.

But then, the leader of the Chaotix detective agency spit out the cheetah-ball at high speed, while aiming at the daimon.

BANG! The living projectile of Uranus hit the target. The daimon screamed and turned back into Amy's Piko Piko hammer.

Uranus stood up and almost swooned. "Oooh, my head..."

Neptune sweatdropped. "Is that how you always attack?" she asked Vector.

He grinned. "Sometimes, yeah... Espio doesn't like it, but Charmy is always enthusiastic about it."

Amy carefully walked up to her mallet. "Is it... safe to pick up?" she asked. Neptune nodded. "Sure, the daimon egg has been forced out of it. You can take it."

Amy nodded and took her mallet back. "Um, who are you guys?"

"I'm Sailor Neptune," the dolphin girl said. "Aaaand I'm Sailor Uranus," the cheetah said dizzily.

The three guys made a group pose. "Team Chaotix, the hardest-working detectives in town!"

Espio walked towards Neptune and grabbed her hand.

"W-what are you doing?" she muttered while the ninja pulled her to the pink hedgehog.

He smiled and put her hand on Amy's chest.

"Wha...?" Amy asked in alarm, but Espio calmed her down. "It's okay! We just want to test something." He looked into Neptune's face. "Well?"

The dolphin sighed. "I guess you're right... I can feel her heart from here. We're so stupid... If we just tried this before..."

"And?" Uranus asked. "Does she have a talisman inside?" Neptune shook her head.

Espio smiled. "There. All settled. You really should start thinking of alternative ways of reaching your goal some more, you know?"

Neptune looked at him sadly. "But when we find the talismans, we somehow HAVE to get them out of the hearts."

Espio sighed. "I know, I know... But until that time, use this method instead of your previous one. And perhaps the two of you will think of another way, when you have learned to better use your powers. Perhaps talking to those other Senshi would be a good idea?"

Neptune nodded. "Yes, I think you're right."

Amy blinked. "Um, excuse me, but... I really don't know what you are all talking about."

Charmy Bee shrugged. "You're not the only one. Vector tried to explain it to me, but somehow, it all sounded pretty weird."

Vector grinned. "I think it's best we retreat for now!"

Espio nodded. "Roger that." And they ran away, together with the two Senshi.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Charmy did a little loop and buzzed after his friends.

Amy just stood there, held her mallet and tried to figure out just what was going on.


	6. Kingdom of robots

"The silence is coming... and I will be its precursor."

"No! No!" The young girl trashed around in her sleep. "Let me alone! You're not me!"

"You know you will turn into me... there's no escape..."

"It's not true! Go away!"

"Hey!" A harsh voice snapped Hotaru Robotnik out of her dream.

She looked around. Next to the door of her room, the form of Metal Sonic was standing. "Stop that," he snapped. "It's bad enough that I have to guard your room."

Hotaru swung her legs over the edge of her bed. "I had a terrible nightmare," she murmured.

"What of it?" the robotic hedgehog muttered. "I just know your screaming was bugging me..."

She looked at him. "Don't you care about anything? I know you're just a robot, but you were once a living being, right? So don't you remember anyone that's important to you?"

"Feelings are overrated," Metal Sonic huffed. "They're just trouble. The only things that count are power and strength."

Hotaru pitied the robot. She knew what kind of person he had been before her father transformed him... and she also knew that he wasn't totally convinced of the correctness of his transformation.

Hotaru sighed. She loved her father, that was true, but she couldn't understand his thirst for power. At least she knew that he normally didn't kill living beings, only turned them into emotionless machines…

----

"So, I help you find the Chaos Emeralds so you can turn back into your true form... and you repay me by destroying Station Square! That's a good offer, isn't it?"

The silent form of Chaos seemed to think about it. Then, with a wet sounding growl, he nodded.

Dr. Eggman grinned. "Perfect! I knew I could count on you. I already know where your missing tail is... one of the Chaos Emeralds is there as well. As for the other ones..." He pressed several buttons, and on the monitor appeared several emeralds.

He pointed to the purple, light blue and white emeralds. "Those three were being held by GUN, but I heard they were stolen some time ago. I heard that sneaky thief Rouge is after them, as well. We have to be extra careful when gathering these, as the thief has to be pretty strong if he managed to break through GUN's defense forces.

Now, for the rest..." He pointed to the red one. "This one is in the possession of that blue hedgehog you fought at City Hall. He's my favorite enemy, in a manner of speaking. I'd advise going after him first. The blue one is in the possession of some girl. I sent one of my robots to take care of her. So that leaves only the yellow emerald. And I have to admit, I have no idea where this one could be. We still have to look for it."

Chaos just looked at the monitors. Nothing on his emotionless face revealed any of his thoughts.

"Well, let's start," Eggman shouted in an excited voice. "I believe we should look for Sonic at the workshop of that little fox, who is his friend. That is the perfect chance to test one of my newest creations: The Egg Hornet!"

----

"So why are we searching here again?" whined Usagi while following Makoto towards the small workshop on top of the hill.

Makoto sighed. "Because this is where Angel Island came crashing down, so it's very probable that many shards of the Master Emerald came falling down here. Maybe Ami's brother has seen some."

"All right," the hedgehog of the moon grumbled. "But I wish we at least knew into how many pieces that thing broke."

Then, they heard something. Usagi perked up her ears. "Aha, I know that sound." It sounded like something fast was approaching their location. Something very fast.

And when a blue blur zoomed past them, turned around and came to a stop in front of them, Usagi nodded. "I was right! I hear that sound every time I get carried to school. Hey there Sonic!"

Sonic grinned. "Hey there, girls. What's up?"

"Well, you know, we're helping Rei and Knuckles searching for the pieces of the Master Emerald. Somehow it broke apart last night, and therefore, the whole island came crashing down," Makoto explained.

Sonic looked up at the rocky side of the fallen island that was rising above them. "I thought this place looked kinda different. It's supposed to float a little more up there, right?" He gestured towards the clouds.

"Right," Usagi nodded. "Did you see, by any chance, some of the shards?"

Sonic shook his head. "Sorry. Can't say I have. Then again, I mostly speed past everything so fast, I barely have time to look at the ground."

"Okay, I see," Makoto said. "Thanks anyway. We were just going to ask Tails the same."

While they were talking, two two-tailed foxes came running down the hill. "Hey Sonic," Tails shouted. "Usagi, nice to see you again. And, um, what was your name again?"

The tall rabbit smiled. "Makoto! Hi there Tails! Hey Ames, what's up?"

"Not much," her blue-furred friend answered. "I just finished installing the necessary software on the navigation system I built in Sonic's plane."

"Hey, that's sweet," the blue hedgehog grinned. "Can't wait to try it out. Hey, Tails! You might have noticed that something happened to Angel Island..."

Tails glanced up the enormous island resting right next to the hill. "Um, yeah, could be..."

"Means the Master Emerald broke into pieces," Makoto explained. "So we help Rei and Knuckles finding them. Both of them are searching in town right now. We wanted to ask Minako for help too, but you know... Every time we need her, she has left with her thieving bat-friend."

"You're helping them too, Sonic?" Tails asked.

"Um, no," Sonic replied. "I just heard about it from them. I was actually going to have a look at your little project. How's it working?"

Tails shook his head. "Not as good as I thought it would. I have still a few bugs to iron out... the Chaos Emerald's powers are unpredictable."

"You use a Chaos Emerald as a power supply?" Makoto asked in amazement. "Pretty bold, I gotta say."

Ami grinned at her brother. "Yeah, that's my bro: Always trying to test out his theories, no matter what."

"Well then," a new voice said. "You wouldn't mind giving me that emerald now, would you?"

And then he descended in his floating Eggmobile: The rotund scientist Sonic and his friends knew and detested: Dr. 'Eggman' Robotnik.

"Hey look," Sonic shouted. "It's a giant, talking egg!"

"Silence!" the scientist thundered. "I'm Dr. Robotnik, the greatest scientific genius in the world!"

Usagi smirked. "Whatever you say, Eggman!"

"Enough," he shouted. "Give me that Chaos Emeralds, or else..."

"Or else what?" Makoto said. "You're gonna throw your little flying pod at us?"

Eggman growled. "Know that this Eggmobile is one of the most cunning, ingenious inventions I ever created. I can combine it with almost every weapon I built... like my newest, greatest invention: The Egg Hornet!"

And from the sky, a hovering aircraft came flying down, provided with two big drills on it's front, three enormous engines and a rocket launcher. The round Eggmobile hovered up and lowered itself into the Hornet to serve as the cockpit.

"So you like to do it the hard way, Doc?" Sonic grinned. "C'mon, Tails! Let's party!"

And while the two friends charged at Eggman, Usagi turned to her two friends. "We have to help them. We should transform somewhere!"

"Let's hide behind those trees," Ami suggested.

But when they turned around and started moving, something cut through the air in front of them and got stuck in the ground.

Usagi gasped. Could it be?

"T... Tuxedo Kamen...?"

But it was no rose.

It was a blue, metallic spike.

Metal Sonic jumped down from the tree he was hiding in. "So, we meet again, my old 'friends'." His eyes glowed as he approached them.

Makoto growled. "Mamoru... you betrayed us!"

"That's Metal Sonic!" the robot snapped. "And I didn't betray you... the doctor jut showed me the true purpose of my existence. Becoming the prince of the Earth... how absurd! Dr. Robotnik will be the Earth's greatest ruler, and robots will reign supreme! And I... I will be his right hand."

Usagi looked at her roboticised ex-boyfriend. "Mamo-chan... that can't be true. The robotication process brainwashed your mind. That's not you talking... Let me turn you back into your old self, and everything will turn out fine."

Metal Sonic looked at her, and for an instant, Usagi thought she had convinced him.

But then he smacked her with a massive punch of his metal fist. "Wake up, Usagi," he snarled. "Your so-called 'Crystal Tokyo' is anything but an Utopia! It's a dictatorship... where you and your Senshi will be the ones that decide over life or death! And by protecting this country from the Great Freeze, you'll doom the other people of the Earth. There will be no eternal peace, Usagi. It's only a matter of survival." He made a fist. "And only the strongest will survive! Think about it... an empire of robots, where everything is perfect. The Great Freeze won't affect robots, so we'll be safe from it's effects. I once offered you to join me in that paradise..." Again, his eyes glowed in a dark red. "But you had your chance... and you rejected me! And that means: You're my enemy!"

He curled his body into a ball and rolled towards Usagi like a living buzz saw.

Usagi saw the deadly ball of sharp spikes and spines rolling her way and almost saw herself dying an ugly death...

...when suddenly, Ami came flying towards her, picking her up and carrying her to safety.

Metal Sonic bounced into the air, uncurled his body and landed a short distance away from them. "A bold move, Ami," he said. "Does that mean you want to die before your princess?"

"No one is going to die today," Ami said in a determined voice and raised her transformation pen.

"Ami, no!" Makoto shouted. "Sonic, Tails and Eggman would see it."

"I know... but it's the only way. Mamoru probably told the doctor our true identities a long time ago... so it's only fair my brother and his friend, one of the greatest local heroes, know our secret as well. Mercury Star Power, Make Up!"

Makoto nodded and raised her pen as well. "Jupiter Star Power, Make Up!"

And finally, Usagi transformed as well. "Moon Cosmic Power, Make Up!"

And they all transformed into their Senshi forms.

"Heh," Metal Sonic said. "Even if your friends were here as well, you wouldn't stand a chance against me." He crouched down and activated his back jet. He sped along the ground and forced the girls to jump out of the way.

He smirked. That was too easy. First scatter them, then take them out one by one. Again, he curled up into a ball and spun around rapidly while firing his metal spikes at a high rate.

This time it was Mercury that became his target, but Jupiter threw herself in the way of the incoming projectiles.

She screamed as they got stuck in her back. "Jupiter!" Sailor Moon cried out in terror.

----

Sonic zipped around the battlefield, all the time avoiding Eggman's rockets. In the meantime, Tails tried flying towards the cockpit, but always had to dodge the launched rockets.

"Now you made me really mad," the scientist yelled. "Get a load of this!" He extended the two drills on the front of the Hornet and dove towards the ground. Sonic skillfully jumped aside, and the whole machine got stuck. "Grrraaaaah," Eggman yelled angrily. "I hate that hedgehog!"

Sonic just smiled, jumped up and smacked his body into the cockpit. "Looks like your little toy is pretty soon ready for the junk pile, doctor!"

Then he saw something flashing from the corner of his eye. "What the...?"

Tails, who was flying over him, gasped. "Ami... Usagi... and Makoto... they're the Sailor Senshi!"

Eggman smirked. "So, are they now? Well, well, it looks like Metal Sonic didn't tell me everything he knew."

Tails put his hands on his mouth. "Oh no!" he cried. "I just gave away their secret identities."

"Can't be helped now," Sonic sighed. "But it looks like they're in trouble. Go to them, I'll handle the egg-head."

Tails nodded and flew over to where the Senshi were battling Metal Sonic.

----

Metal Sonic chuckled. "Hey, looks like all of you want to die badly. But I really can only kill one of you at a time, you understand? Let's just begin with you, Jupiter..." As a ball, he rolled towards the fallen Jupiter, shredding everything in his path.

Only to be hit with an electrically charged ball.

The electricity flowed through his system and made him cry out in pain. He couldn't maintain his ball form and crashed down to the floor.

Ami got up from where her cousin had shot her curled up form. Using the powers of the Chaos Emerald, he had launched her body at Metal Sonic. And while the electric field had shocked the robot, it had protected her from the spikes.

Tails landed next to her. "That's what I call a Thunder Shoot! Never mess around with the Prower siblings!"

Metal Sonic watched him closely. "So, you are Ami's brother, huh? She never told you about being a Senshi, did she?"

Ami looked down, but Tails got pretty annoyed. "So what? That only means she tried to protect her family from evil guys like you!"

"Tails, I'm sorry..." Ami began, but her brother shook his head. "It's okay, I understand. But you know, I can fight, too. And using the emerald, I even have similar powers like you and the other Senshi."

"So you have the emerald," Metal Sonic realized. "That makes my job easier..." He once again activated his back jets and rushed them, hovering over the ground. He also extended his spiky finders.

"Ami, watch out," Tails shouted and pushed his sister out of the way. The robot grinned and tackled the young fox to the ground. Afterwards, he just took the Chaos Emerald. "Thanks! Now if you two excuse me..."

He zoomed up the hill using his Spin Dash and held up the emerald. "I got it, Doctor," he yelled.

Eggman's Hornet just got smashed by Sonic the Hedgehog, but his Eggmobile survived the crash. He hovered over to his metal minion and took the jewel from him. "How very nice," he chuckled. "Now, come out, Chaos!"

"Chaos?" Ami asked in surprise.

Usagi was kneeling next to Jupiter. "Makoto, are you all right?"

The rabbit of lightning sat up with a wince. "It's okay, but I think I have to sleep on my stomach for the following nights."

They all watched as the liquid monster came rising out of the ground.

"Hey, isn't that the monster I fought the other day?" Sonic shouted.

Eggman threw the Chaos Emerald towards Chaos, and the water monster caught it and absorbed it into his body. Instantly, his body grew and now towered even over Metal Sonic.

"Oh yes, it's really happening," the doctor shouted in excitement. "Every time I feed him a Chaos Emerald, he becomes stronger. He will destroy Station Square for me, where I will build the ultimate city, Robotnikland!"

"And that's from where he and his robots will rule over all," Metal Sonic added.

"Now, let's leave to find the other emeralds, shall we, Chaos?"

The big water creature nodded and raised its arms. In a flash of light, the three villains were gone.

----

Pluto the Hedgehog was standing on a building and looked over the city.

She cursed her bad luck. Some hours earlier, she got attacked by GUN troops and had to drop one of the Chaos Emeralds. The soldiers didn't find it, because they had followed her, but she couldn't just let it lie on the ground.

But when she returned to that place some time later, it had disappeared. Now she had only two left.

"Doesn't matter," she murmured to herself. "As long as I find my brother sometime... I wonder where his escape pod has landed. For all these years, I still wasn't able to find him..."

She jumped down the building and continued her search.

----

Knuckles and Rei were strolling down the road. Smiling, Rei held up one of the emerald shards they managed to find earlier. "This is easier than I thought it would be."

"I told you," Knuckles said. "Our race is sensitive to the energy the emerald is emitting. We can use that to find the pieces."

"Yes, you told me. Multiple times by now. You don't have to say it again."

He sighed. "Look, I'm sorry... but guarding the Master Emerald has always been the most important part of my life. Somehow... I just can't bear the thoughts of someone like Eggman having control over its powers... And he even got it for a little while, thanks to my stubbornness..."

"Hey, everyone makes a mistake now and then," Rei comforted him. "And don't worry about yelling at me earlier. I already forgot it."

"Hey!" Knuckles suddenly said. "Isn't that that thief over there?"

And indeed, the easily recognizable form of Rouge the Bat was walking on the other side of the street, holding something shiny.

"That's... gotta be one of the Master Emerald shards," Knuckles shouted. "We have to get it!" And he ran across the streets, ignoring the cars that had to brake because of him.

Rei shook her head. "That guy... he always has to dive into everything head first. I don't even feel the power of the Master Emerald from that bat..."

She jumped up and glided over the street anyway. It looks like she had to make sure the male echidna didn't get into trouble.

----

Rouge smiled. This really was her lucky day. She had been flying over the city, looking for a hint that could lead her to the thief of the Chaos Emeralds, when suddenly, she found the purple jewel lying right next to the pavement. She wondered how it got there.

When suddenly, a red figure dashed towards her. "Hey, give me back that emerald," he shouted.

Rouge blinked and stretched out her boot. That stopped the echidna. "Hey, cool down there, okay? This doesn't belong to you."

"Yes, it does," Knuckles shouted. "That's a piece of the Master Emerald, and you stole it!"

Rouge held up the purple gem. "If you mean that green stone on your island, I have to disappoint you, sugar! This doesn't look too green in my eyes."

Knuckles' eyes widened as he realized the bat was right. "Dang! Just my luck..." he muttered.

Then, Rei came landing next to them. "Sorry about my partner," she said to the bat. "But he tends to act before thinking first."

"I can imagine," Rouge grinned. "You're those two echidnas from that floating island, right?"

"Yes!" Rei's face darkened. "And you are that bat that told one of my best friends to steal the Master Emerald."

Rouge laughed nervously. "Well, what should I say? The girl chose this path for herself. But I can assure you: She never plans to take that thing ever again, she told me."

"Okay, but what about you?" Rei asked. "Wouldn't you happen to know something about small, green, shining shards like this?" She held up one of the pieces she found.

Rouge raised an eyebrow. "No, can't say I have. It looks like that big, green gem. How did you manage to break it anyway?"

"That's none of your concern," Knuckles snapped. "You wouldn't tell us if you knew anyway, right?"

The white-furred bat smirked. "You're smarter than you look." Knuckles grumbled angrily.

"Why do you have a Chaos Emerald anyway?" Rei wanted to know.

Rouge just smiled. "I don't see any reason why I should tell you. But let's just say I have a good use for them."

Suddenly, a huge shape descended upon them. "Look out!" Rei shouted.

They jumped away just in time as Dr. Eggman came flying down in his Eggmobile. "Well, well, well," he said. "This is a lucky day indeed. First I get an emerald from Sonic and Tails, now from you three guys. I suppose you hand it over..."

Rouge pocketed the emerald and flew off. "Only if you can catch me!"

Eggman yawned. "Is that all? You make it too easy!" And he released a purple gas from his vessel that surrounded the three humanoid animals.

"Wha... what's this?" Rei mumbled. "Sleep... gas?" Rouge muttered. And both of them fell asleep.

Knuckles managed to roll away in time. "Nice trick, Eggman," he shouted. "But you have to do better than that!"

"Oh, do I?" the doctor asked. "Well, if you think so... Come out, Chaos!"

And once again, the water demon emerged from the ground. "What's this?" Knuckles asked. "A new pet of yours?"

"You fool," Eggman shouted. "It's Chaos! The god of destruction!"

Knuckles looked at his opponent. "Doesn't look too impressive to me."

"Don't mind that fool, Chaos!" the doctor said. "Just grab that Chaos Emerald!"

"Oh no, you don't," the echidna shouted and dove for the emerald himself.

But then, Chaos stretched out his arm and snatched it away. As Knuckles got up from the ground, the water creature absorbed it into his body and transformed again. He got a little bit bigger, his arms grew longer and the extensions on his head grew in opposite directions.

"Hm, changing shape won't scare me," Knuckles grumbled. "Okay, give me your best shot!"

"I'm afraid we don't have the time for that," Eggman told him. "Come on Chaos, let's head back to the base!"

"Stop!" the red echidna yelled.

Eggman floated away, leaving a furious echidna behind.

"This was all too easy," he said to himself. "At this rate, I'll have all of the emeralds collected by tomorrow. I really hoped Sonic and his pals would be worthy opponents..."

"I'm afraid I can't let you leave like this," another voice called. "You see, we need those emeralds more then you do with your pitiful schemes of destroying a single town..."

"Who's there?" Eggman shouted. "Show yourself!"

A pale woman in a red dress appeared on a rooftop. "My name is Kaolinite. I represent the Death-Busters. We need the emeralds as a power source to enable our master to reach Earth."

"Bah," Eggman said. "You're nothing but big talk, woman! What do you plan to do against a superior mastermind like me and his unbeatable machines?"

Kaolinite smirked. "Why, by using your machines against you, of course. As we spoke, one of our daimons has possessed your vessel. And you have no chance of escaping."

"What are you talking about?" Eggman demanded to know.

That was when, to his surprise, his vessel changed its shape. It turned into another female daimon. It just looked like the previous Eggmobile, but with arms, legs and a head sticking out.

"BULKY!" it screamed.

"What is this treachery?" Eggman yelled. "My own vessel, turning against me? What a dirty trick..." Then he smiled. "I like your style. But sadly, I don't plan to let you have the emerald, even if that means I have to fight my own Eggmobile. Chaos, emerge!"

When Chaos appeared, Kaolinite raised an eyebrow. "What an interesting creature. And here I thought you would rely only on robots or other weapons. Well, this should be interesting! Bulky, destroy that thing and after that, bring me the Chaos Emerald and his heart!"

The daimon blinked. Then, she looked up at her mistress and asked: "Uh... how am I going to do this?"

Kaolinite twitched in irritation. "By attacking him with your powers, of course!"

"Uh, right..." Bulky turned around to face Chaos. Then, she turned around again and said: "Um, Mistress... I don't seem to have any actual powers!"

"WHAT?" Tomoe's assistant yelled. "How can this be?"

Eggman snickered. "Normally, my Eggmobile isn't provided with any weapons. It just carries me wherever I want to go. And I use it as a basis for my other inventions. But sadly, no one of those are here, so she simply can't merge with them. Too bad."

Chaos turned into a massive ball of water and hurled himself at the daimon. Then, he imprisoned her within his watery body. The daimon simply couldn't stand that pressure and screamed.

Afterwards, she turned back into Eggman's normal Eggmobile, which Chaos released.

"Do you have a last wish?" Eggman chuckled.

Kaolinite snarled. "Don't think this is over, you fool!"

"Oh, on the contrary: This ends right now... Chaos!"

Chaos nodded and lashed at Kaolinite with his arms. Before she could teleport away, he grabbed her and pulled her towards him. And as he did before with the daimon, he absorbed her into his body.

Kaolinite's face was a grimace of terror, as she flailed wildly around within the liquid. She tried to teleport, but the powers Chaos had absorbed from the emeralds prevented it. Then, slowly, she started to choke.

When it was over, Chaos released her body. "Normally, I don't like to kill," Eggman grumbled. "But you left me no choice: I don't like any competition!"

And when he and his partner left the scene, they left behind the lifeless body of the Death-Buster.

----

Professor Tomoe looked up from his work. "It looks like Kaolinite has failed... too bad. Well, I really had no trust in her abilities. The witches will do much better, I'm sure."

He turned around to go to the witches' office. "I wonder..." he murmured. "I really wonder what Kaolinite's last thoughts were...

Maybe... 'I'm not thirsty anymore, thank you'?"

And he laughed his insane laughter: "BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"


	7. A glimpse of the past

They were all standing on top of the snowy Ice Cap... the high mountain in the middle of Angel Island: Sonic, Usagi and Makoto. After Eggman, Metal Sonic and Chaos had fled from the scene, they decided to go and look for the Chaos Emeralds and the shards of the Master Emerald together. Ami and Tails had stayed behind to finish their work on the Tornado, in case they should need it.

Some hint they got in a bar in town guided them to the mountain. It was being said that someone saw a dark figure carrying some shiny objects on the mountaintop. It was only a vague lead, but the best one they got. So, they rented some snowboards and decided to look around the snowy slopes while going down.

While they climbed up the other side of the Ice Cap, they couldn't find anything but a couple of Master Emerald shards.

Usagi nervously peered over the edge of the long slope. "I'm not too sure about this..."

"Aw, come on," Sonic shouted. "This will be fun!"

Makoto patted her friend on the shoulder. "Don't worry, it looks more dangerous than it is. And it'll be over soon."

Usagi just sighed and prepared for the worst.

Hovering over their heads, a certain blue, robotic hedgehog was peering down at them. 'Those fools,' he thought. 'They will never find the Chaos Emerald, and I'll make sure they don't.'

Metal Sonic looked at the bombs he set earlier at the mountain's peak and pressed a button on his remote.

The explosions shook the mountain and released a mighty avalanche of snow that came rumbling down the peak.

"Watch out!" Sonic yelled. "Hurry up or we'll end up in the freezer!"

And he mounted his board and whooshed down the slopes, all the while shouting "Whoohoo!"

Usagi screamed as Makoto pushed her forward and tried desperately to maintain her balance. Shortly after Makoto started as well, the avalanche came crashing down.

Sonic skillfully dodged trees, boulders and ice formations while all the way enjoying the wild ride. Makoto wasn't as skilled as Sonic, but she tried her best too, crashed through a thin ice wall and used her long ears to hover for a short while.

Usagi was panicking. She didn't fall over, as that would mean her doom. But she whooshed through bushes and ended up with a mouth full of snowy leaves. She smacked against an ice stalactite and ripped it off, so that she had to carry it for a short while. And she zoomed through a snow hill and, for a short time, looked exactly like a snowman in hedgehog form.

"Look out," Sonic shouted. "There's a very steep slope. Prepare to jump!"

"W-w-what?" Usagi shouted, as she had snow in her ears. "I didn't understand you!"

"WHAAHOOOOH!" Sonic yelled as he jumped into the air with an acrobatic air roll. Makoto desperately flapped her ears to maintain altitude.

And Usagi... just fell down with a loud scream. Her board hit the lower snow path, a small boulder caused her to trip over, and she rolled down the slope while taking more and more snow along that surrounded her, until she looked like a giant snowball.

The danger of the avalanche was already over, since the snow masses had plunged down a very deep canyon, but now Makoto and Sonic had to be careful not to be squashed by the growing Usagi-snowball.

Finally, the slope smoothed out more and more, until they reached the bottom of the mountain.

Sonic and Makoto quickly zipped left and right to avoid being hit by the rolling snow-hedgehog.

Usagi and her snowball rolled down the rest of the slope, bounced off a wooden log, and finally hit the ground with a big 'SPLAT'.

The snowball popped, and Usagi got released.

She shivered and sniffled. "Let's never do this again, okay?" she whined.

Suddenly, something fell off her head. Something white and shiny.

"The Chaos Emerald," Makoto shouted in surprise. "Usagi must have taken it along in her snowball while rolling down the mountain."

"Sweet," Sonic grinned. "Usagi, you rock!"

Usagi sneezed. "I just wonder how the emerald got here?"

----

From behind a tree, a dark shape spied at them. "I hope they appreciate it. After all, I only do this because I don't have the time to look after those gems, and they look like they are trustworthy. Let's hope I'm not wrong..."

And Pluto vanished with a flash.

----

Impatiently, Knuckles waited for the two girls to wake up. "I hope it doesn't take too much time," he grumbled. "I don't want to know what Eggman or other subjects would do if they find the Master Emerald pieces."

When suddenly, a bright ball of light came down descending on him.

He only had time to mutter: "Wha...?", then everything went white.

----

When Knuckles could see again, his surroundings had changed. He blinked. Then he rubbed his eyes and looked again. The image stayed the same.

He was standing in a big village of stone huts that were surrounded with numerous bonfires. The streets were being paved with stone slabs, and in the middle of the village, an enormous pyramid rose. It somehow looked like an ancient Inca temple.

But Knuckles knew better. He knew the ruins on his home island good enough to realize that this was a village of the ancient echidna civilization.

And he didn't really need that knowledge to find out, as all over the paths and coming out of the huts, purple-furred echidnas wearing ancient tribe garments were walking, working, talking and taking care of their young ones.

"What the..." he muttered. "Where the heck am I? This is very strange..."

"Knuckles!" A red echidna girl ran up to him.

"Rei!" he shouted in surprise. "What happened? Where are we?"

"No idea," she shrugged. "I talked to some of the inhabitants, and they just told me this was the 'Kraal of Echidnas'. They really didn't seem to be surprised with my presence. But just what's going on here? You told me that you, I and my grandfather were the last three echidnas."

"I don't understand it either," Knuckles mumbled. "Perhaps we are in some hidden valley, where the echidnas managed to live their old ways as they did hundreds of years ago."

"That doesn't sound too probable," Rei said. "How would we have gotten here? When I fell asleep, I was still in Station Square."

"Me too," Knuckles replied. "I was just waiting for you and Rouge to wake up, when suddenly some light surrounded me."

"Perhaps..." Rei pondered. "Perhaps this is some kind of vision. I had several ones in my childhood, and they all showed me pictures of the echidna culture."

Knuckles blinked, then pinched Rei's arm.

"OW!" she screamed. "What's the big idea?"

Knuckles smirked. "So much for your idea of a vision. If this were a vision or dream, you wouldn't be able to feel pain, right?"

"I guess so..." Rei sighed and rubbed her arm. "Perhaps we better..."

But then, a young echidna girl was walking past them. She was muttering something: "The servers are... the seven Chaos..."

The two modern echidnas blinked. "Excuse me, but what did you just say?" Rei asked the girl.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the girl said while turning around. "I was so in thought that I didn't see you two there. I don't think I ever saw you around the village. I'm Tikal. And you are?"

Rei smiled. "I'm Rei, and this is Knuckles. Pleased to meet you, Tikal!" Knuckles just nodded.

The girl had orange fur and was wearing an ancient garb, echidna style. She wore a short dress with green and red stripes, a white top, and blue bracers. Her shoes were just white bandages wrapped around her feet comfortably, and on her head, a golden tiara was resting.

"I was just saying something my grandmother told me," Tikal explained. "She raised me almost completely by herself after my mother died... and my father never had time for me... Well, anyways... It was an old, traditional saying. I'm never to forget it... It goes like this:

'The servers are the seven Chaos. Chaos is power. Power is enriched by the hearts. The Controller is the one that unifies the Chaos.'

But I'm still not too sure what it all means."

"Sure seems mysterious to me," Knuckles agreed. Rei thought about it. Chaos? Seven Chaos? Could it be...

Tikal continued: "But the number seven... is the same number of emeralds there are."

Rei gasped. "Emeralds? Do you mean the Chaos...?"

Then, a bright light surrounded them.

----

"Rei? Rei, can you hear me? Earth to Rei, please answer!"

Rei shook her head and got up. Next to her was her friend Minako the Bat, looking at her with a worried face. Rouge was there, too. She was just helping Knuckles get up.

"You almost got me worried," the white-furred bat said. "After I woke up, both of you were still out cold. It was creepy... it was like you were in some kind of trance."

"Did you have another vision, Rei?" Minako asked.

"Ssshhh," Rei hissed. "Let's talk about that later." Her blonde friend could be so careless sometimes. Her dream about the silence that was threatening the Earth was nothing she wanted to discuss with Knuckles... and less then ever, with Rouge.

"I just had a... dream, that's all," Knuckles mumbled.

Rei nodded. "Yeah, me too! A very strange dream..."

"Well, good to see you're okay," Rouge said. "Oh, by the way... you were looking for this, right? Well, here you are!" And she handed Knuckles several emerald shards.

Even Minako looked at her friend with surprise. "Rouge! But... having that emerald was what you always wanted. Well, I would've done the same thing in your place, of course. But still... why?"

Rouge sighed. "You wanna know? Fine! I could have just taken them, but that would have spoiled all the fun. I don't want to have a broken emerald whose shards just happened to lie on the ground. So you can have it."

Knuckles took the pieces and looked at Rouge. "I still don't know if I should thank you or smack you one..."

The bat thief grinned. "Don't thank me just yet. But you better hurry and put all the pieces back together... and when the emerald is put together again, I will be back. So, until then... ciao!"

She winked at the puzzled echidnas and walked away. "Minako, you coming?"

"Um, maybe later, Rouge... I have something to take care of first, okay?"

Rouge nodded. "Okay, whatever you want. But remember that I won't train you if you start slacking off, you hear?"

Minako sighed. She really didn't like the situation: Being scolded by Rouge and being glared at by Rei and Knuckles. But she said: "Yes, Rouge..."

----

Amy Rose sighed as she carried her shopping bags.

"That was really exciting, when those guys saved me from my own hammer, but now I'm bored again... Everyday's the same old thing... same place, different day... I miss the good old days. Hanging out with my hero, Sonic... chasing bad guys... and blowing them away, haha!"

She sighed again. "And now he's gone and there is nothing left to do but shop til I drop. There's always something fun to do with Sonic around..."

That's when she was run over by a small pink blur.

"Aaaah," Amy shouted. "Watch it, watch it!"

Amy rubbed her head. "Ow! You should look where you're going..." Then she looked at the girl that ran her over. It was a young hedgehog girl, a little older then Cream. She had strange hair buns and... her fur was pink! Just like her own!

"I'm sorry," the girl said. "But I have to get away from that robot!"

"Robot?" Amy asked. "What robot?"

And then she saw it. A massive, green robot with a cylindrical body. It had small, round eyes and big hands that looked like tongs. It was hovering several inches over the ground.

"Oh no," the girl cried. "It found me! Please, let me go!"

"All right," Amy nodded. "This one looks like trouble. Let's get out of here!"

They managed to escape the rampaging robot by hiding in a burger shop.

"That mustached man imprisoned me in his airship," the girl explained. "And somehow I managed to get away. But now, I'm afraid that they will come again for me... How am I going to find my mother and her friends?"

"So, Dr. Eggman caught you, huh?" Amy asked. "Don't worry! I'll protect you! Trust me, we will find your mommy. What is your name, sweetie?"

"I'm Usagi, but everyone at home calls me Chibiusa."

"All right Chibiusa! I'm Amy! Amy Rose! Are you from Station Square?"

Chibiusa giggled. "You know, one of my mother's friends has a similar name. I'm not from Station Square. You see... I'm not really from this time..."

"What do you mean?" Amy asked curiously.

Chibiusa sighed. She was told not to tell anyone, but somehow, she felt she could trust this girl. "I'm from the future. In this time, my mom is still a teenager, but my mommy - my real mommy, from the future - sent me back in time. I cannot tell you all the details, but..."

"It's okay," Amy said. "Time travel can be pretty weird." She just thought about the experience she and Sonic had with the Time Stones. "I'll help you find her. I'll stay with you all the way!"

The younger girl looked up at her with grateful eyes. "Thank you."

Then, Amy thought of something: A hedgehog girl from the future, searching for her parents? Parents, that still were teenagers in this time? A hedgehog girl with PINK fur? That could only mean...

Hearts appeared in Amy's eyes as the realized what this meant. 'Oooooh, Sonic,' she thought. 'After all, we WILL marry in the future! And we will even have a daughter! I'm so happy!'

----

"And how much did you say would this jewel cost?" Motoki, the proprietor of Casinopolis, the biggest casino and game arcade in town, was looking down at the light blue gem resting on his counter.

The dark green hedgehog in front of him smiled. "It's for free... under one condition!"

"And that would be?" Motoki wasn't too convinced. It was too easy. There had to be a catch.

"Nothing much," Pluto smirked. "You just have to offer it as a prize to those who manage to win your games."

----

Rei and Knuckles met the others at the train station. "Hey, klutz!" Rei grinned at her favorite meatball-headed hedgehog. Usagi growled. "REI!"

The female echidna grinned. "Hey, just joking! So, how was it? You find any Chaos Emeralds or M.E. shards?"

"We sure have," Makoto grinned and stretched out her hands. In her left hand, there were numerous shards, and in her right hand, the white Chaos Emerald.

"And all it took was a little Usagi-avalanche," Sonic grinned.

Usagi turned red. "Soniiic..."

Just then, the door to the entrance hall opened and Minako and Knuckles came in. "Hey everyone," Minako said cheerfully. "We heard that a priceless jewel is the first prize in Casinopolis."

Usagi grinned maliciously. "Hey Makoto, how about you ask Motoki nicely if he just gives it to you? You once told me he looked like your old... hey! Makoto, are you listening?"

Makoto just stared at the male echidna in front of her. Her face was getting flushed. "He looks just like my old sempai..." she murmured.

Her friends all face-faulted. "Makoto, just think about it," Rei grumbled. "Knuckles is the last male echidna... so I bet your old sempai wouldn't look even closely like him."

"But look at his eyes..." the rabbit of Jupiter smiled. "So proud and fierce... just like my old sempai..."

Knuckles didn't hear the conversation between the girls. He just faced Sonic. The blue hedgehog grinned at him. "Yo, Knuckles! What's up?"

Knuckles raised an eyebrow. "So, you're going to collect the Chaos Emeralds, again?"

"Yeah, what of it?"

The guardian of the Master Emerald shrugged. "Oh, nothing... It's just that you seem to stumble over them amazingly often, just by 'accident'. I just wondered..."

Sonic blinked. "What?"

Knuckle shook his head. "Oh, it's nothing... forget about it!"

Together, they all went over to the casino district. In front of them, they could see the main entrance of Casinopolis.

Usagi got excited. "So, what are we waiting for?" she said. "Let's go in and play!"

"We have to wait for Ami," Rei explained. "She wanted to come and bring some money with her. We can exchange it into rings, and using those rings, we can play the games."

Just then, the blue-furred fox of Mercury appeared. She waved at them. "Looks like you all found something," she shouted. "I have the money, so let's get inside!"

----

Motoki looked over the huge group of furries that was standing before his counter. "All of you want to play at the game machines?" he asked in a puzzled voice.

Usagi nodded while smiling. "Yeah! And at the crane games, the pinball machines, the slot machines..."

Ami put the big amount of money they all had thrown together on the counter. "Here, this should be sufficient!"

Motoki looked at all the money, grinned, took it and filled them a huge bag with rings. "Here you go, and have fun!"

Usagi smiled at him while accepting the rings. "Thanks!"

----

"We have to win 400 rings to exchange them for the main prize," Ami realized. "We don't have any more money, so do your best, okay?"

"No worries," Sonic smirked as he entered the door to the live-pinball.

"What is that?" Knuckles asked in a curious voice as Sonic vanished in a blue flash of light.

Ami explained: "In there, your body gets curled up into a ball, and you can let the pinball machine throw you around as if you were the ball yourself! Wanna try it?"

Knuckles sweat-dropped. "I think I pass. I get the feeling that some emerald shards are hidden somewhere around here... I'll just go looking for them."

Minako giggled in joy as she blasted the Space Invaders at her game machine.

Usagi angrily gripped the joystick of the fighting game and tried desperately to beat her opponent. But just as before, she just hammered on the buttons without any signs of success.

She cried out in desperation as the big, flashing words 'Game Over' appeared on the screen.

"Should I try it for you?" Ami asked as she stepped besides her friend.

Usagi nodded while looking at Ami with puppy-dog eyes. "Yes, please!"

Ami sat down and gripped the joystick.

Minako grinned as she beat her own high score again. "That really is easy," she said. "Now, are there any Sailor V games in here?"

Sonic exited the live-pinball chamber with a big grin on his face. "Now that was fun! Now to try the other version... it has a built-in slot machine as well."

Makoto just stared up to the ceiling of the main room, where Knuckles was climbing in his search for Master Emerald shards. She sighed.

A cry of "I can't believe it!" broke her out of her mental blackout.

She looked over to the fighting game, where Ami was rapidly tilting the joystick in all directions, while Usagi peered over her shoulder with wide-open eyes and mouth.

Rei came over to look. Then she stared. "Ami, your score is twice as high as the previous high score! How do you do that?"

With a big crash, Ami's opponent went down again. 'You win!' flashed over the screen.

Ami grinned. "I guess I just got lucky!"

----

Motoki sweat-dropped as they put the massive pile of rings in front of his face. "So... so many rings..."

"I already counted them," Ami said. "We won a total of 527 rings. That should be enough for the Chaos Emerald and a small bonus prize."

Motoki gulped as he took the light blue Chaos Emerald from its display case and handed it over. Meanwhile, Makoto took a look at the rack of smaller prizes. She smiled and pointed to one of them. "I'd like to have this one!"

Knuckles climbed down the big statue in the middle of the room and jumped to the ground. "So, you got lucky?" he asked his friends. "I managed to find three more emerald shards."

Makoto smiled and handed him a big plush animal, a blue, smiling bird called 'Flicky'. "This is for you," she said while looking at the echidna with yearning eyes.

Knuckles looked at the stuffed animal that was nearly as big as the Master Emerald itself. "Uuuh... thanks, I guess..."

----

"World Shaking!"

With that final attack, the daimon turned back into its previous shape, a toy racing car. Neptune picked it up and, with a smile, handed it back to the small boy. "Here you are! You're not hurt, are you?"

While the boy sniffed and took back his favorite toy, Neptune put her hand on his chest. She sighed. No talisman here either.

When the boy was gone, Uranus angrily cursed. "How are we gonna find the talismans at this rate?" she muttered. "Just how many people live here in this town?"

"I believe we should start checking the more famous persons... they may have a bigger chance of carrying a talisman."

"You mean the mayor or something?" Uranus asked.

The dolphin of Neptune shook her sleek head. "No, I mean someone with a sense of justice... like this local hero, Sonic the Hedgehog!"

"The blue hedgehog I fought on Speed Highway?" the cheetah asked. "Well, I don't think he would actually trust me after what happened the last time."

"We have to try it," Neptune insisted. "We have to check everyone's heart, even his. And if it isn't him, it could be also one of those echidnas living on the floating island, or one of the other Senshi. Maybe Espio is right... we should talk to them."

"And what should we say?" Uranus snorted. "Sorry we fought you all these times, but can't we be friends? By the way, please let us have a look at your pure hearts... Somehow, this doesn't seem to be the right way..."

"Not exactly," someone said. "But you're on the right path."

They looked up. Over them, on a street lamp, a female hedgehog was standing... Pluto!

"You're that hedgehog girl GUN is after," Uranus realized. "They said it on TV... didn't you steal some jewels?"

Pluto smiled. "I didn't steal them... I just took them away from their base. They didn't belong to them in the first place. But enough about me... let's talk about you! I admire your resolve for a good thing, and you even managed to change your ways of achieving your goals... But still, you have to learn the way of thinking on different levels. In my opinion, protecting the citizens is admirable... but your search for the talismans should be centered around other persons!"

"How do you know of our plans?" Neptune shouted. "Are you an agent of Kaolinite?"

Pluto huffed. "Please... Besides, that woman is already dead, I believe. Let's just say I have my ways of informing myself... I know you're Sailors Uranus and Neptune, for instance. In your civil identities, you're known as Michiru and Haruka, live in the apartment of the Chaotix detective agency, and you have a special... interest for each other."

Michiru blushed, while Haruka went red with rage. "Shut up! If you know that much and aren't our enemy, why are you here?"

Pluto smirked and jumped down. "I'm here... to challenge one of you to a fight! Don't worry, I only want a friendly competition match to test your and my powers. What do you say?"

The dolphin-girl whispered to her spotted partner: "I have a bad feeling about this."

"Ah, what's the worst that could happen?" Uranus replied. "Besides, she isn't even a Senshi. She has no chance against me."

"Maybe, but remember the blue hedgehog! He also had powers we knew nothing about. So take care, okay?"

"Don't worry," Uranus replied with a smirk. "I'll show her who's boss." To Pluto, she shouted: "I accept your challenge! Where should we fight?"

Pluto smiled. "I already chose a nice place near town. Just follow me!"

The dark green hedgehog lead them to a small park at the edge of town. In there, they arrived on a nice clearing, next to the flowing river. "Here we have enough space and won't be bothered. Fine with you?"

Uranus shrugged. "Sure, let's begin already."

"Before we begin, let me introduce myself to you... you should know who you're fighting, right?" She made a small bow. "I am Pluto the Hedgehog... the Ultimate Life Form, First Version! It's a pleasure!"

"Ultimate Life Form?" Uranus huffed. "Big talk for a hedgehog, but let's see what you got." She went into a battle stance. "Ready?"

"Pluto?" Neptune whispered. "Can it be?"

"3, 2, 1... fight!" Pluto shouted, and rushed at the cheetah. Uranus defended herself with claw swipes and kicks, but Pluto seemed to be faster than even Sonic.

Uranus smacked the hedgehog girl away with a punch and yelled: "Let's end this: World Shaking!"

Pluto smiled. "Chaos Scream!" And she threw a purple ball of energy at the Senshi, which cancelled her own attack.

"That power..." Neptune murmured. "It's just like that of a Senshi!"

Pluto felt pretty sure of herself. She already absorbed enough power of the emeralds to do the Chaos attacks without the need of carrying one of them with her. "Now for something special," she said. "Chaos... Control!"

Time seemed to slow down considerably as Pluto called on the powers of chaos flowing through her veins. Uranus had no chance of defending herself as Pluto ran at her and gave her a massive pounding.

When time snapped back to normal, the Senshi of Uranus was lying on the ground. Pluto stood next to her, a cocky grin on her face. "I believe I won."

"I hate to... say it, but she's right," Uranus moaned while standing up. "When she used that strange power to slow down time, I had really no chance of blocking or dodging her attacks. Even without Senshi powers, she is formidable."

"Why, thank you!" Pluto felt flattered. "And that was quite a refreshing fight. I think I learned something from our little contest. So I think I will give you a little hint on how to find the talismans..."

"Really?" Neptune asked hopefully.

"Of course! But, don't expect anything extraordinary. It's only just a small advise..."

"What advise?" Uranus asked curiously.

Pluto smiled. "Put your hands... on each other's heart!"

And in a flash, she disappeared.

The two Outer Senshi gasped. "Could she mean...?"

Haruka looked at Michiru. Michiru looked at Haruka.

Slowly, they approached each other. They looked into each other's faces and raised their right hands. Then, they put them on their partner's chest.

And felt something warm flowing through their bodies.

"The talismans..." Uranus whispered.

"...are in our own hearts?" Michiru murmured.

----

Pluto appeared in a back alley. "There, satisfied? I really think they should understand now."

"You did well," a gentle voice told her. "Finding the last one shouldn't be too hard for them now."

"Oh, on the contrary," Puto grinned. "They might come to the conclusion who is carrying the final talisman pretty quickly, but... I bet the talisman bearer wouldn't let them catch her that easily!"

"Anyway, you did a good job. Well done!"

"Does that mean you tell me more about your little 'story'?"

"No, not yet. But if you keep it up, I may tell you the background of all this... the real truth about your origins. Until then, goodbye, Pluto the Hedgehog!"

And the floating ball of light flew away.


	8. Fight in the sky

"Two emeralds..." Sonic grumbled. "While this is not too bad, that still leaves 5 others... and Eggman has already two of them!"

"That's not the only problem," Knuckles added. "While we were searching, he already may have found more, and with every emerald he gets, Chaos is getting stronger. So it's also a race against time."

"Doesn't matter," Makoto said confidently. "We defeated Beryl, and she was insanely powerful. We can also defeat some slimy water monster like Chaos."

They were on their way to the Prower siblings' workshop. While Ami was helping her friends, Tails had been working on the Tornado, along with a special 'surprise' for the Senshi. He should have finished by now, Ami said.

But when they passed the lake at the Mystic Ruins, an all-too-familiar laugh echoed down from the air.

"Hahahahaha," Eggman laughed while descending in his Eggmobile. "We meet again, my friends... I guess you have collected some emeralds as well did you? Give them to me!"

"No way!" Usagi shouted. "You just want to do evil things with them. And I can't allow that! In the name of the moon, I'm going to punish you!"

"Well, too bad, 'Sailor Hedgehog'! Here I thought we could be friends. But, if you don't like me, perhaps I should let you play with an old friend of yours... Come forth, Beta!"

And descending from the skies, carried by an attached Jet Booster, came the white robot displaying the number E-101.

"E-101-Beta ready for battle instructions!" ('What do you want THIS time, you egg-head?')

The doctor smirked. "Metal Sonic told me who your little friends are. I believe this one was once a white cat, belonging to the Senshi named... Sailor Venus! Isn't that right?"

"No..." Minako said in a small voice after realizing the truth. "Not Artemis..."

"Correct, little bat," Eggman snickered. "Now, do you want to fight your own little pet? You might be able to beat him, but I cannot exactly guarantee for his safety if you destroy his robotic shell. E-101-Beta, lock-on to the blonde bat!"

"Aye aye, sir! Battle preparations complete! Prepare for firing rocket launcher!" ('Fine, you slimeball! But believe me, I'll somehow get you for this! I'm sorry, Minako...')

They all could see the red laser pointer on Minako's forehead. A direct hit with a rocket, even a small one, at this distance, would cause more then a headache.

"Well, what should it be?" Eggman asked. "The emeralds... or some mashed Senshi?"

"Damn you, Eggman," Sonic yelled. "Your tricks get dirtier day-to-day! Get down here so I can kick your bloated butt!"

His eternal archenemy grinned. "Flattery will get you nowhere, my honorable adversary. You have 3 seconds to decide. One..."

"Usagi, don't think about me," Minako shouted. "He can't be allowed to get the Chaos Emeralds!"

Usagi's gaze switched from Minako to E-101-Beta, from Eggman to the Chaos Emeralds in her hands.

"Two..."

"I'll do it!" she screamed. "I'll give you the emeralds, but please don't hurt Mina-chan!"

Eggman chuckled. "Good girl! Throw them to the ground!" She did as he said, and a green beam came out of the underside of his vessel, transporting them into his cockpit. He held them up and smiled. "I'll show you that even guys like me have a sense of honor... E-101-Beta, abort launch!"

The robot lowered its weapon and switched off the tracking device. "Affirmative!" ('Thank goodness...')

Eggman raised his arms with the emerald. "Come, Chaos! It's time to eat!" And after the water demon appeared, he threw him the two emeralds, which he absorbed.

After his transformation, Chaos resembled a giant shark floating in the air. He was as big as a hammerhead shark, but he kept the green, glowing eyes he had in every form. With 4 emeralds, his power must have doubled since his last transformation.

"And now..." Eggman gestured towards them. "Kill them all!"

"What?" Usagi nearly cried. "But you said you would let us live!"

"I didn't say that," the doctor told her maliciously. "I only said Beta wouldn't turn your friend's head into mashed potatoes... I never said anything about Chaos, though. Have fun, while I'm getting back to my flying fortress... the Egg Carrier!"

And while Chaos roared and flew in front of the Eggmobile, a giant shape appeared behind the mountains... an enormous flying battleship, bearing the emblem of Eggman! It was the Egg Carrier!

----

In the end, they won. Chaos was a fearsome beast, but in the end, they could overwhelm him by simply outnumbering him. But what he managed to do was shielding Eggman's escape, so he and Beta could reach the Egg Carrier without being stopped by Sonic, Knuckles or the Senshi.

After his defeat, Chaos simply merged with the nearby lake's water to escape.

They all looked up into the sky, to the retreating form of the Egg Carrier.

"We can't let him get away with it, right?" Sonic said. "So I say we get back to Tails' workshop and follow him with the Tornado!"

"Good idea," Minako nodded. "Even though I hope Tails has finished it by now..."

"You guys go on without me," Knuckles said suddenly. "After all, we won't be able to fly in that thing at once, right? Besides, there are still some Master Emerald shards that wait for me to be collected."

Rei sighed. "As much as I hate to admit it, he's right! I think I will join him as usual... If you guys manage to get on that ship, give Eggman some pounding from me, okay?"

Minako nodded. "You got it!" And while the two echidnas left towards their fallen island, the others hurried back to the workshop.

----

"Tails!" Sonic shouted as he barged in. "You better have the Tornado ready, we need to follow Eggman!"

"I just finished my work, Sonic," the fox-boy said proudly. "And that's not all: I also managed to build something for Usagi and her friends. Ta-daah! I present to you: The Moon Jet!"

The Senshi just gaped at the aerodynamical plane that was standing in the middle of the hangar. It was sleek, looked powerful and was a gleaming white. On its wings, motives like a crescent moon and a black cat were being painted. "Ami designed the motives," Tails explained while gesturing towards his sister. "It's even faster than the Tornado, and there are three seats. Ami also constructed some special guns which would be able to concentrate your attack powers. You can use them to lock on easily to any flying objects or enemies."

Minako grinned. "Awesome! Ami, you really are a genius, but this... you have your cool side, after all!"

Ami didn't know if she should be offended or pleased, so she just blushed.

"Now let's hurry up," Sonic shouted. "Or Eggman will get away!"

"Roger," Tails nodded. "I think I should take control of the Tornado, while Sonic can sit behind me. I'm afraid that the Moon Jet doesn't provide enough space for everyone of you all though..."

"It's okay," Ami said. "I'll stay behind this time. You three do fine without me."

"You will get your chance for action the next time, Ami," Makoto said. "It's a promise!"

Usagi sat down in the pilot seat, while Makoto and Minako manned the gunner seats.

"You know how to fly an aircraft?" Makoto asked Usagi in a surprised voice.

"Well, kinda," the moon princess said in a sheepish voice. "Shingo always lets me play with his video games, and I realized I'm pretty good with those flight simulator games."

Tails and Sonic already had jumped into the Tornado, while Ami opened the hangar doors.

"All right, everyone ready?" Sonic asked. "Time to blast away!"

The engines of the two aircrafts came to life with deafening roars, while they began rolling over the maneuvering area Tails had constructed behind his workshop. While the Tornado ascended smoothly, Usagi got a little nervous as she gripped the joystick.

But she quickly got the hang of it, and only seconds later, the Moon Jet soared up into the blue sky.

"Up, up and away," Minako shouted.

"To boldly go where no rabbit has gone before," Makoto added.

"To Infinity and Beyond," Usagi whooped.

Well, let's just hope they fastened their seat belts.

----

The two airplanes swooshed through the blue sky, their pilots always keeping an eye on the massive form of the Egg Carrier.

"Watch out," Tails told the Senshi per radio. "Eggman's sending out some jet fighters. Don't hesitate to shoot them down, they're only manned by robots."

"Here they come," shouted Makoto and got ready to use her guns.

And the battle was on. Sonic used the Tornado's machine gun and lock-on-missiles to blast the jets from the sky, and Minako and Makoto used their magical attacks, firing them with the help of the special cannons: "Crescent Beam!" "Supreme Thunder!"

Then they reached the Egg Carrier, but got no chance of landing, because of the assault of the fighters. On top of that, there were multiple turrets on the Egg Carrier's surface shooting at them as well.

"Use the new lock-on-system," Tails told his friend. "Try to shoot three of them down at once!"

"Right," Sonic shouted and did as he was told.

Meanwhile, Venus came up with a smart way of getting rid of some chasers. "Venus Love-me-Chain!" Her chain of shining hearts wrapped itself around one turret on the Carrier's surface, while they other end attached itself to one of the following jets. Now connected to the turret, the jet had no choice but to fly around it in circles, wrapping the chain even closer to the turret. Finally, it collided with the turret, and both of the weapons were destroyed.

----

On the bridge of the Egg Carrier, Eggman was smoothing his mustache with his fingers. "Those kids... they're nothing but a nuisance!"

"Shall I go outside to take care of them?" Metal Sonic asked with gleaming eyes. But the doctor shook his head. "No need for that! I have everything under control..." He lowered some kind of complex periscope and looked through it. Before his eyes, he could see the air battle. He kept his eyes especially on one certain red plane, manned by a two-tailed fox and a blue hedgehog...

"Now I have you where I want you," he chuckled. He raised a finger. "Metal Sonic, get the cannon ready..."

The robotic hedgehog nodded and went to his post.

"Three... two... one... FIRE!"

----

Sonic already had a bad feeling when the front of the Egg Carrier opened up to reveal a big, circular object hidden underneath.

And when he saw the broad laser beam being shot out of the cannon, he had only time to yell: "Look out..." But it was too late.

Any jet fighter that was between them and the cannon got instantly obliterated. Tails tried to dodge, but still the laser hit the side of the Tornado, ripping off one wing and half of the landing gear.

"We're hit!" Sonic shouted. "Tails, are there any parachutes in here?"

Tails sweat-dropped. "I knew I forgot something..."

And then, the plane plummeted down towards Earth, wildly spinning around. Sonic had to hold on tightly to not being thrown out of his seat.

"Oh no," Minako shouted. "Sonic and Tails are hit. They're falling..."

"Quick, we have to try to catch them," Usagi shouted and turned around the Moon Jet. "We have to catch Eggman some other time."

When they turned around, the remaining jet fighters stopped their pursuit and returned to the Egg Carrier.

When Tails saw the Moon Jet descending, he said: "Sonic! Try to jump over to the Senshi's plane! I'll try to get away using my tails."

"You'll be okay, buddy?" Sonic asked in a worried tone.

"No problem," Tails assured him. "Besides, there's no way they would have enough space for two of us."

"All right," Sonic nodded. "See ya on the ground, Tails!"

Tails twirled his tails and flew up into the air, thereby abandoning the pilot's seat. Sonic looked down nervously. He could see the outskirts of Station Square, and closer than he would have preferred.

As the Moon Jet came flying underneath the plummeting Tornado, Sonic concentrated. It was now or never!

He jumped out of his seat, almost got hit by the spinning wing of the Tornado, fell towards the Moon Jet and grabbed Makoto's hand in the last second. While Minako and Makoto pulled him to safety, Usagi steered the jet around to avoid being crashed by the Tornado.

From above, Tails watched as the airplane crashed down to Earth. "Too bad," he sighed. "The Tornado was one of my greatest inventions..." But then, a stiff breeze caught him and blew him away from the others.

"Whoa," Tails cried. "Nonono! Back there, back there!"

But the wind was never known to listen for anyone's pleads, so it continued blowing the little fox away from his friends. Back towards the Mystic Ruins.

----

Hotaru Robotnik was bored. She hated it to stay at home, while her daddy was out again, trying to take over the world. And the only company she had were robots of various intelligence... dumb or even dumber. The only interesting dialog partner was Metal Sonic, only he wasn't exactly a nice guy.

Besides, he wasn't here either...

And while Hotaru could be a good girl, she rarely was patient. A trait she inherited from her father...

And so, she got out of her room and decided to leave for a walk.

Some Eggpawns were guarding the main entrance to the Final Egg. They blocked Hotaru's way with their spears. "Passing here is prohibited," they said in their monotone voices.

Hotaru groaned. Then she thought of something. Smirking, she put her hands on her hips. "Do you know who I AM? I am the daughter of your creator! Therefore, I am a Robotnik as well! And I COMMAND you to let me pass!"

The two Eggpawns looked at each other while their simple computer minds tried to process this information.

"Primary directive... Robotnik is our master! Every command he gives has to be followed. Please, master... go on through!"

Hotaru giggled. That was too easy. "Thank you!" she simply said as she walked outside.

The base was situated deep in the jungle, but the local wildlife was pretty tame around here. Maybe it was because they were afraid of Eggman's machines.

Hotaru followed the muddy path that was leading through the jungle. She remembered when her father came here for the first time and decided to build a base. His robots constructed the hideout in less than two days at the bottom of the deep canyon and connected it to the upper cliff with a bridge that lead to the base's central tower. In there, an elevator would allow every person to descend to the main entrance. From there on, only the doctor and his very few followers would be allowed to proceed. Everyone else would be attacked by the guard robots.

By now Hotaru had reached the river. There was no bridge, but the river itself was very small and shallow. She could easily cross it by using several stepstones.

Suddenly, something big and green jumped out of the water and sat down on a rock. It was a frog, but it was the strangest frog Hotaru had ever seen. It was as big as a cat, and the strangest thing was: It had a tail! The frog looked directly at her.

Hotaru smiled. "Hey there, little guy! How are you? My name's Hotaru! Wanna be friends?"

The frog didn't even croak a response. He just turned around and jumped to the other side of the river. Afterwards, he hopped further into the jungle.

"Wait," Hotaru shouted and hopped over the river herself. Then, she ran in the direction the green amphibian had taken. "Where did you go?" she shouted and looked around. She heard a croak and followed it.

Finally, she entered a clearing. There was nothing here, except for many leaves that had fallen from the trees. The frog was sitting on the ground next to a big pile of leaves.

Hotaru smirked. "Gotcha!" And she jumped towards him, trying to catch him by his tail.

But he jumped away in time and vanished into the jungle. Hotaru fell onto the ground, right into the middle of the leaf pile. The leaves were flying everywhere and covered Hotaru's head and back. She spit some out that entered her mouth. "Well, that was stupid, Hotaru..."

Then her hands grasped something solid underneath the leaves. It felt hard and heavy. She grabbed it and pulled it out.

It was a big, shiny gem, as green as the leaves themselves.

Hotaru smiled. "Pretty!" And she stuffed the green Chaos Emerald into her pocket.

----

The frog watched her from the bushes. It's croaking somehow resembled a sinister snicker. The tail couldn't get back to its master on its own, so it simply merged with that green creature. The Chaos Emerald contained the powers of its master, so it had to take it along as well. But its host body was far too weak to carry it. So why not use that girl to carry it?

For a tail, it was pretty smart...

----

Somewhere else, another big creature was searching for something.

"Yoohoo," it called. "Froggy! Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

Big the Cat was tired and sat down on the stairs of the Station Square train station. "Oh man, where could my polliwog pal be, anyway?"

"Excuse me, sir, but have you lost something?" a sweet voice asked.

Big turned around his head. A young rabbit girl was glancing up at him, a smile on her face. Around her head, a small blue... something was circling.

"I'm trying to find my lil' buddy," Big said in his slow voice. "But he's gone! How I miss my Froggy..."

"If you like, I'll help searching," the little girl replied. "My name is Cream, and this is Cheese! And you are...?"

"Um... the name's Big! I'm a cat!"

Cream smiled. "Very nice to meet you, Mr. Big!"

----

The little two-tailed fox-boy was happily walking through the forest, when suddenly, he saw something blue shoot past him.

Surprised, the boy saw a blue hedgehog, zipping around the tree at an astounding speed. That was incredible. He had to try it, too.

But no matter how hard the little fox tried, he was never nearly as fast as the hedgehog. Finally, he tripped over his own feet and fell to the ground. He sniffed and was almost ready to burst into tears, when suddenly, a gloved hand reached out to help him up.

"Careful there, little guy," the hedgehog said while smiling at him. "Don't try to run faster than you can. When I was your age, I wasn't really much faster than you. I managed to reach this velocity with years of hard training... and special sneakers." Grinning, he gestured towards his cool shoes.

From that day on, the little fox-boy decided to train hard so that one day, he would be as fast as the blue hedgehog, who became his idol.

But no matter how hard the little fox tried, his new friend was always faster. Finally, Tails had enough, and during a friendly race, he began twirling around his tails in desperation. To his astonishment, this caused him to be propelled forward much faster then before. And while he never managed to outrun his hedgehog friend, he always was able to keep up with him.

----

Tails opened his eyes. "Miles, are you awake?" a concerned voice asked him.

The young fox shook his head as he saw his sister's face. "I'm fine, Ami. And please, don't call me Miles, okay? I always imagine Mom is around when I hear it."

Ami giggled. "Sorry, Tails! I'll remember it."

Tails sighed. "Wow, that dream I just had brought back memories..."

"What dream?" his blue-furred sister asked curiously.

"I dreamt about my first encounter with Sonic. I owe so much to him..."

Ami smiled. Her brother's friendship to that hedgehog must be similar to the friendship between her and the other Senshi.

"I found you outside, unconscious," Ami explained. "What happened? Where are the others?"

And Tails told Ami about their unsuccessful assault on the Egg Carrier.

Ami began thinking. "Hmmm, looks like the Tornado was not powerful enough."

Tails nodded. "Yep, that's what I thought as well. I think the best solution would be to finish my prototype... but for that, I need a Chaos Emerald."

"Then I suppose we should take a look around, right?" Ami said.

----

Hotaru was still following the frog through the jungle. "Where are you going?" she shouted. "I only want to play with you."

But the frog didn't stop. He only stayed close enough that she wouldn't lose him. But once she saw him again, he hopped away.

Hotaru didn't realize it, but the frog chase brought them closer and closer to the little desert valley that was situated next to the jungle. She only realized that the ground beneath her feet got more and more sandy, and suddenly, she was walking through a narrow chasm between two high cliffs. And then, the ground became steeper and steeper, until finally, she slipped and rolled down the sand hill.

She shook her head and looked up. The frog was sitting right in front of her. She smiled. "There you are!"

Suddenly, the ground under them began shaking. Without a warning, something big made from stone erupted from beneath the earth and took them with it, up into the air.

Hotaru screamed as she realized what it was: One of the giant stone snakes that lived in this desert. Moving around by unknown magical powers, they were the remains of an ancient civilization.

She quickly grabbed the frog so he wouldn't be in danger, stuffed him into her pocket and held on for dear life.

----

Ami and Tails were walking through the jungle, searching for a clue leading them to an emerald.

"Man, these jungle paths are really confusing," moaned Tails and they rested for a while. "Why are there so many junctions and cross-ways?"

Ami shrugged. "No idea. Ask the people that made the paths." She looked up. They were standing near the western cliffs, separating the jungle from the desert. It was hot, and they were panting.

All of a sudden, they heard a scream coming from Sand Hill. They looked at each other, then ran towards the path leading to the desert.

They just arrived in time to see a young human girl with violet hair riding an enormous stone serpent... and it looked like she didn't do it willingly.

"We have to save her," Tails shouted. "But... how?"

"Well, what would Sonic do in this situation?" Ami asked.

"Um... dunno! I guess he would just grab a snowboard and slide across the sand."

Ami nodded. "Yes, that's what I thought as well. Good luck I prepared for such a case when we had to think like him." And she pulled out two strange, metal plates. She pressed on two buttons, and extensions came out of both sides, turning the plates into something resembling a snowboard.

The snake by now had pulled its whole body out of the sand, and began slithering down the hill... with an enormous speed. The girl seemingly was too scared to just jump off.

"After her," Ami shouted as she threw her brother one of the boards and jumped on the other one. Tails nodded and did the same. And they began sliding down the Sand Hill, in hot pursuit of the stone snake.

Tails and Ami dashed down the sandy slopes, trying to catch up with the snake. But while the enormous rock creature could just smash every obstacle that was in its way, they had to dodge all the rocks, cacti and whatsoever.

Tails decided it was time for a desperate move.

"Watch out," he shouted to his sister. "I'm going to try something!"

"Okay, just don't try to be too brave, you hear?" Ami responded.

Tails steered his board over to a rocky ledge that looked like a ramp. With skill, he jumped on it, slid along its length, and when he reached its tip, he did an enormous spin-jump towards the snake. He landed on its body, glided along it, grabbed the surprised girl, reached the monster's head and jumped into the air, just as it was going to snap at him with its mouth.

He used his propeller tails to safely land on the ground, while the snake continued slithering downwards. He skidded to a stop and put down the trembling girl.

Ami zipped towards them and braked. "Wow, Tails! Good job! I think Sonic is a good influence, after all."

Tails laughed bashfully.

Only then did he recognize the girl he just saved. "Hotaru?"

The girl looked up and smiled. "Tails! So it was you, huh? I knew it would be handy to have such a good friend of yours. You just saved us in time."

"Us?"

Hotaru pulled the frog out of her pocket. "I was following this little guy here, when suddenly, this huge snake appeared."

"Is she a friend of yours, bro?" Ami asked.

Tails nodded. "Um, yes! Hotaru, this is my little sister, Ami Prower! Ami, this is..."

The violet-haired girl bowed. "Hotaru Robotnik! Nice to meet you!"

Ami blinked. "Wait a minute... Did you just say ROBOTNIK?"

"Yes!" Hotaru looked down. "Dr. Ivo Robotnik is my father..."

Ami gaped at her brother. "And she... is your friend?"

"I know what you're thinking, sis... But don't worry! Hotaru isn't anything like her father. She's the sweetest person you could ever imagine... Well, right after Cream, of course!"

Hotaru, who had met Cream once, smiled. "Yes, nothing surpasses the cuteness of a little bunny." They all laughed.

"But how did you get here, Hotaru?" Tails wanted to know. Hotaru sighed. "After Daddy left with his Egg Carrier, I was all alone on the base... Well, alone with all the robots. And I was so bored... Daddy never has time for me. Always going to take over the world..."

Ami smiled. "Must be hard with a father like that, huh?"

Hotaru nodded. "That's right! But... I love him, in spite of everything. He is my father, after all... And when he has the time, he's taking good care of me."

Ami shook her head. "Dr. Eggman, a loving father... Who would have thought it."

Suddenly, a gleaming ball of light came floating out of nowhere and surrounded them all with a bright flash.

----

They looked around. They were standing in a deep valley, as before, but there were no sand or rocks anywhere. It was green and lush, and a stone bridge was leading over a deep river. And nearby, they could see a strange building... "I thought we were in the desert," Ami said. "What's this place?"

Tails looked at the big shrine-like building near them. "Well, it looks familiar somehow..."

Then he gasped as he saw what was lying on top of this shrine. "The... Master Emerald! But... how? I thought it was in pieces!"

Hotaru pointed to the pillars surrounding the shrine. "Look at that! These stones... they look just like this green one I found."

And indeed, resting on the pillars were the seven Chaos Emeralds, every single one of them.

Tails looked at the green one in Hotaru's hand and back to its counterpart on the pillar. "That's crazy," he murmured. "There can't be more than 7 Chaos Emeralds."

"Wait, I hear someone coming," Ami whispered.

Across the bridge, a young, orange-furred echidna girl came running. She looked at the shrine and gasped. Then, small shapes came out of the surrounding bushes. They were blue, cute and had floating yellow dots over their teardrop-shaped heads.

"You're the... Chao!" the girl said in amazement. The little creatures seemed to be nervous around her, though.

"Don't be afraid," she said. "You're safe with me!"

Careful, the Chao approached her. The echidna girl smiled and scooped one of them up in her arms. The little guy smiled happily and cuddled into her embrace.

Suddenly, a strange, gurgling sound came from the water basin surrounding the shrine. Startled, Tikal looked over to the shrine.

And just as something rose out of the water, another bright flash surrounded Tails, Ami and Hotaru...

----

When they opened their eyes, they were standing at the Mystic Ruins, in front of Tails' workshop. "How did we get here?" Ami wondered. "Doesn't make any sense..."

"I wonder who that girl was..." Tails mumbled. "Perhaps... we all had a vision?"

"Could be," Ami said. "But that doesn't explain how we got transported from the desert to the workshop.

"Oh, little froggy," Hotaru shouted, as the green amphibian slipped out of her grasp. He hopped away. She sighed. "Well, I guess he didn't want to play after all."

Tails looked at his human friend. "Hotaru, may I have a look at that emerald?"

"Um, sure," she said. "Here, you can have it!"

Tails examined the jewel and nodded. "Yes, definitely a Chaos Emerald! Well, at least we now have something to power up my new plane!"

Ami smiled. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's finish your great invention!"

They looked at Hotaru. "Do you wanna come along, Hotaru?" Ami asked.

She nodded. "Sure!"


	9. Alpha Robot, Alpha Daimon, Alpha Fiend

Author's Note: The new character in this chapter is a character who originally appeared in one of my other stories, Martial Artists in Spira. To learn more about its origins, please take a look at that story… it's a fun read. Still, if you prefer not to read it, that's no problem. The scenes with Alpha will still be easy to understand, even if you know nothing of its background.

----

"Professor Tomoe, I have excellent news!"

The insane scientist turned around. "Yes, Mimete?"

The blonde witch smirked. "I experimented a little with that strange floating, spiritual substance, and I think I found a way of using it for our daimons. If I'm not mistaken, this should make one of them even stronger and more intelligent as well."

The professor looked at her through his flashing glasses. "But didn't Eudial advise against using this substance in this matter?"

"Please, Professor," Mimete huffed. "Eudial is out there, searching for pure hearts and still didn't manage to find either the talismans or Mistress 9's host. Do you really want to follow HER advice?"

The professor chuckled. "Very well... I like your way of thinking, Mimete! Finish your project... and I hope that this new daimon will be able to do what Eudial isn't capable of."

While Mimete walked back into her own little lab, he sighed. "Eudial... you really start to worry me... I hope for your sake that you don't end up like poor Kaolinite."

And he reared back his head. "BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"

----

The green robot was still floating through the city, terrorizing people with its massive frame. It was being told to search for that pink-haired hedgehog girl... and now it found two of them! Well, it would just have to bring them both to its master.

As it was the prototype of the E-Series, E-100-Alpha, aka ZERO, it wasn't powered by a trapped animal. But that also made it less intelligent, so that it couldn't adapt to new situations very well. It would just follow the instructions of its maker... and nothing would stop it.

It still didn't quit its search when it saw a strange, floating capsule approaching...

----

The being trapped inside the capsule was confused. One moment, it was forced to serve the man that destroyed its previous body, afterwards, it just floated through the void, then, it was trapped in some kind of container. And now it was part of a new being and still didn't understand just WHAT exactly it was.

It only hoped that it would get a new body soon.

And when it saw the massive body of the green robot, it didn't hesitate and descended.

----

When the daimon capsule got absorbed into ZERO's metal body, strange waves of energy rippled across its surface. First an electrical surge from the inside of the robot's core. Then, a pink flash, caused by the daimon substance of the death-busters. And then, a cloud of strange, floating lights surrounded it, something this world had never seen before...

A cloud of pyreflies.

And then the robot changed shape. It became a sleek, humanoid, female creature with shapely legs, encased in a green metal armor. Out of the creature's green helmet, cat ears were jutting out, while a cat-like tail grew out of a hole in its back armor.

"ALPHA!" the creature shouted in a booming voice.

When it stood on the ground, it flexed its claws and swished its tail. "Well, this certainly is interesting," it said in a female voice, sounding surprisingly similar to that of a certain Chinese Amazon. "This new world seems to be a fun place... and this new body... Let's see how anyone will control me now!"

And the ex-robot E-100-Alpha aka ZERO aka the daimon Alpha aka the reborn form of the Alpha Fiend contently walked down the street.

----

"DEEP SUBMERGE!"

The watery attack missed Eudial, as the witch jumped aside. "You need to work on your aiming, fishy," she smirked.

Neptune was fuming. "Dolphins aren't fishes. They're sea mammals!"

"Whatever..." Eudial grumbled after shooting her 'heart bazooka' at the Senshi of water. She barely managed to avoid the shot.

"Hold still," Uranus shouted as she swiped at Eudial, who smirked and teleported behind her. "Gotcha!" And she pulled the trigger.

Uranus screamed as the slimy projectile ripped her heart crystal out of her body. As she fell down to the ground, it slowly turned into the shape of a curved sword.

"URANUS!" Neptune shouted. "You'll pay for this!"

"Oh, really?" the witch asked. "I would be more worried about you. I should have tried checking the hearts of Senshi a long time ago."

"Well, well, what's happening here?" a new voice shouted. "A fight? I'm in!"

Eudial and Neptune stared at the robot-like cat-girl that was walking into the backyard where they had fought.

"A daimon?" Neptune wondered. "Where did it come from?"

"Daimon," Eudial commanded. "Get that girl's heart crystal! I command it!"

Alpha smirked. "Sorry... but I don't take orders! Especially not from someone with such a bad taste for clothing." She raised her metal hands and shot the black, pincer-like gloves at Eudial. The witch got entwined into the steel cable that connected the gloves with her arms.

"W-what are you doing?" Eudial said in a confused tone. "I'm one of the Witches 5! You have to obey my orders!"

"I'm sorry to disappoint you," said Alpha and twirled Eudial around. "But I don't like your attitude."

'Now that's very strange,' Neptune said as the daimon threw Eudial up in the air. 'A daimon turning against its masters?'

Quickly, she hastened over to Uranus and put the sword into her right hand. Instantly, a pink glow flowed from the blade to Uranus' chest area. Her heart returned to her body, but the talisman stayed behind.

Eudial tried standing up, but failed miserably. "How... dare you?"

Alpha picked up Eudial's weapon that fell to the ground earlier. "Interesting thing. What does it do?" She pointed it at Eudial. "I guess I'll have to find out!" And she pulled the trigger.

"AAAAAAAAAH!" The witch screamed as her heart was being ripped out of her body. Alpha picked up the pink crystal and examined it. "Wow, this gives off a big amount of power. I wonder..."

She smirked and just swallowed the heart crystal.

Eudial's body jerked one last time... then she fell back with empty eyes.

Neptune felt like puking. What kind of daimon swallowed the hearts of its victims?

Alpha burped. "Well, that was tasty. And it raised my power, too. But I think it was no pure heart, or else I would have felt even stronger."

When Uranus slowly staggered to her feet, Alpha glanced over to the two Senshi. "Oh, I totally forgot about you two! Do you want to play with me as well?"

She raised the heart gun again. "Well, then take this!" And she fired at Neptune.

The dolphin-girl fell back with a yell, while Uranus was just beginning to understand the situation.

She stared at the sword in her hand, then at Neptune and her heart crystal, which transformed into a beautiful mirror, and finally to the monster. Snarling, she gripped the handle of the sword. "You... How dare you hurt Neptune?" And without thinking, she just yelled: "Space Sword Blaster!"

The energy wave fired off the sword's blade cut through the air and hit the daimon. Eudial's weapon got cut in half while the daimon-fiend screamed in pain. "Hey," she snarled. "That hurts!"

"And it will hurt even more," the cheetah growled. "World Shaking!"

Alpha avoided the attack and decided to retreat for now. "Just you wait, I'll be back once I consumed more of these tasty hearts." And she ran off.

Uranus took a look at her new weapon, then went back to Neptune. As Neptune did before with the sword, she put the mirror into the dolphin's hand. And, as before, the Senshi's heart returned to her body, while the talisman stayed.

After a while, Neptune rose again. Confused, she stared at the shining mirror and the golden sword. "Well, that takes care of the problem how we would get the talismans out of our bodies..."

----

After having invited Chibiusa to a cup of tea, the two pink hedgehogs went to Amy's apartment. Chibiusa looked around her room in amazement. She hadn't believed until now that it was possible for something to be THAT pink. And everywhere were pictures... Pictures of Sonic, pictures of Amy, pictures of Amy with Sonic (mostly photos showing Sonic running away from Amy).

"This... is a nice place you have," Chibiusa finally said.

Amy smiled. "Thanks! I can show you my boxercise room if you like."

"Boxercise?"

"Yup! I punch my punching bag 50 times every morning to stay in shape."

Chibiusa sweat-dropped. This girl was... weird. Very nice, but weird.

"And who's that guy on all these pictures?" she wanted to know.

'Perhaps she doesn't recognize me and Sonic as her parents, as we look much mature when we are older,' Amy thought. "Oh, that is my darling Sonic!" She sighed. "He's my hero who saved me from an evil robotic hedgehog. We're destined to marry, stay together forever and have a nice, sweet daughter... just as you!" Amy giggled. 'There, that hint should be enough for her.'

"Umm... how nice," Chibiusa said. "Listen, I really have to find my mother. Your room is pretty nice and all, but can't we please continue searching for her?"

Amy sighed. That was harder than she thought it would be. Her future daughter just didn't understand who she really was. "Okay... where do you want to look?"

Chibiusa shrugged. "Perhaps at an ice cream parlor... or at the game arcade. That's where she would be most of the time."

'Huh?' Amy wondered. 'It's true that I like to eat a sundae now and then, but I never was interested in games.' "Okay... if you think so."

When they left the apartment again, a small grey cat came running at them. "Small Lady," she shouted. "Here you are! I've been searching all over town for you!"

"Oh, Diana," Chibiusa said. "I'm sorry! This is Amy... Amy Rose! She saved me from some robot and invited me to her apartment afterwards."

"That cat can talk?" Amy wondered.

Chibiusa nodded. "Sure! We are hedgehogs, and we talk, right?"

Amy wanted to point out that Diana wasn't a humanoid cat, but decided against it. "So... your name is Diana, right?"

The kitten nodded. "Yes, I am Small Lady's royal advisor, and her friend."

Now Amy was really baffled. "Royal?"

Again, Diana nodded. "Yes, Chibiusa's parents are the king and queen of Crystal Tokyo."

Chibiusa groaned. "Why don't you blab it out to everyone else in town?"

"Is that an order?" Diana curiously asked. Chibiusa felt like screaming.

Amy's eyes now were sparkling eyes. 'Me and my Sonic, royalty? I'll be a queen! Queen Amy! Whooooo, I really really REALLY like that idea!'

"Hehehehehe..."

Chibiusa was worried at Amy's mad giggling. "Um, are you all right?"

"Huh? Oh, yes, of course!" Amy laughed nervously.

"What I wanted to tell you," Diana said. "I found your mother. She's here in town!"

"REALLY?" the future princess of Crystal Tokyo asked. "Where is she?"

"The last time I saw her and her guardians, she was at the outskirts of town, near some cool-looking plane."

Amy was just staring. Guardians? Plane? Outskirts of town? What was that cat talking about? She was standing RIGHT HERE!

Chibiusa excitedly pulled at Amy's hand. "Come on, I want you to meet her!" And she followed her small feline friend.

Amy ran after them. "That cat must have confused someone else for me," she muttered all the way. "She must have, she simply MUST have!"

When they reached the station plaza, they could see a small group of humanoid animals they mostly knew. Sonic, Makoto, Minako and...

"USAGI!" Chibiusa shouted and ran towards the blonde hedgehog. "I missed you!"

"Chibiusa?" Usagi shouted in surprise as the pink-furred girl tackled her with a massive hug. After the first moment of surprise, she smiled and returned the hug. "Hey there, spore! I missed you too!"

Chibiusa stepped back and smirked. "Glad to see you didn't change a bit... meatball head!"

Minako and Makoto chuckled as they saw how the two hedgehogs were bickering with each other affectionally. Sonic only scratched his head.

"Hey, Amy!" he greeted his definitely-not-girlfriend. "What's up? Who's that kid?"

Amy grinned. "You won't believe it, Sonic! This little girl is a pink hedgehog, just like me, see? And she is from the future to visit her mommy and daddy!"

Sonic blinked. "Uh... that's nice, I guess."

Amy groaned in frustration. Sonic could be so dimwitted sometimes. "Don't you see, Sonic? She is our..."

Just then, she got interrupted by Chibiusa, who pulled Usagi towards her new friend. "Amy, look! I found her! This is Usagi, and she is my mother in the future!"

Amy looked at Usagi. That blonde, clumsy klutz of a hedgehog... that bottomless pit of the ice cream parlor... that... that... "She... she... she..."

"Uh, what's wrong, Amy?" Sonic asked.

Amy fumed. "SHE is your mother? She of all persons? Can't be! Can't be! CAN'T BE! SHE JUST CAN'T MARRY MY SONIC!!"

Everyone was silent. "Um, she doesn't," Chibiusa then explained. "My father is called Mamoru, not Sonic."

Amy blinked. "Oh..."

"Well, what a nice collection of pure hearts," a voice said. "You don't mind if I take them from you, do you?"

They all turned around to the source of this voice.

"A daimon," Usagi shouted in surprise. "Be careful, everyone!"

Alpha shook her finger. "Please, I am no ordinary daimon... Call me 'Alpha'... but then again, you won't have much time left to call me that. For in a few minutes... you'll be dead!"

"Get back in that alley and transform," Sonic whispered. "Amy and I will handle this."

Amy looked at the blue hedgehog in surprise. "You... want ME to fight alongside you?"

Sonic sighed. "I'd have preferred Knuckles or Tails, but you have to do..."

Amy whooped in joy as she drew out her Piko Piko Hammer. "You can count on me! I'm going to do my best, Sonic!"

Alpha grinned. "Two little hedgehogs, coming out to play... what is this, a petting zoo? I saw fiends that were easier to take out than you." And she raised her fists to smack them down on the ground. Amy and Sonic jumped over the resulting shockwave and smacked Alpha's head with their Homing Attacks.

The daimon-fiend growled. "So, you can fight after all, huh?"

"Well, what should I say?" Sonic smirked. "If you got it, flaunt it!"

Amy raised her hammer. "It's malleting time!"

She ran towards her enemy and spun her hammer around in circles. Alpha dodged, and Amy's spin attack resulted in a wildly spinning Amy whose eyes were turning into spinning circles. "Oooooh... my head's spinning..."

Alpha grabbed her with her extending cable-arm. "Pathetic," she snarled. "Next time you wanna play hero, be sure to put up more of a fight!"

"Amy," Sonic yelled, but Alpha intensified her grip on the pink girl. "You make one wrong move, and I'll squeeze her brain out of her head."

Sonic stepped back. "Dang! What should I do?"

Alpha snickered. "Now, how am I going to take your precious little heart out of you?"

"Pink Sugar Heart Attack!"

And when a large number of pink hearts hit Alpha's face, she yelled and dropped Amy. "Ow ow ow ow! Hey, stop that!"

The pink-haired kid Senshi posed with her Pink Moon Stick. "Don't mess with Sailor Chibimoon!"

Behind her, Sailors Moon, Jupiter and Venus appeared. "Let's kick some daimon butt!" Jupiter cracked her knuckles.

"Damn," Alpha cursed. "Time for plan B!" And she reached out to snag... Diana! The grey kitten yowled in pain as it was being captured by the monster.

"Diana," Chibimoon cried.

"You let her go this instant," Amy yelled and raised her mallet.

"Or else we'll turn you into scrap metal," shouted Venus and aimed at her enemy.

Alpha smirked. "You'll do no such thing. In fact, you let me escape nicely. And if you value your lives, you come to my new hideout in Twinkle Park... And I mean only two of you." She pointed at Chibimoon with her free hand. "The little brat will be one of those two! I have a score to settle with her. See you later..."

And she dashed off.

Chibimoon whimpered. "Sailor Moon, we can't let her have Diana."

"I know," Sailor Moon replied. "But you heard her: If we all go, she will hurt her."

"Ah, lemme at her," Sonic said. "I'll give her a good beating, Sonic-style!"

"NO!" Amy yelled. "It's my fault she got captured. If I didn't screw up my spin attack... we would have beat her."

"Amy, we don't know that..." Venus said, then clamped a hand on her mouth.

Jupiter groaned. "Great, Minako... At this rate, the entire town will know our identities."

Amy smiled. "It's okay... I could guess it was you. For some reason, I never recognized you by your faces, but... A superhero group consisting of a hedgehog, an echidna, a bat, a rabbit and a blue fox? Come on, that is SO obvious."

"I guess we're lucky no one else made the connection before, huh?" Sailor Moon said. "Well then, we need a plan. Any ideas?"

"Well, we might have a suggestion," a new voice exclaimed. They all looked up and saw a cheetah and a dolphin in civilian clothes.

"Who are you?" Jupiter was on guard. They knew better than just to trust every stranger.

The two newcomers smiled. "I think it's best if we should show you," the cheetah said. And they raised two transformation sticks.

"Uranus Planet Power, Make Up!"

"Neptune Planet Power, Make Up!"

And while the others could just watch, the dolphin-girl turned into Sailor Neptune, while the cheetah-girl turned into Sailor Uranus.

"It's you two," Venus yelled. "You always wanted to snatch the heart crystals."

Amy growled. "You mean they're bad guys, too?"

"Whoa there!" Uranus raised her hands. "We're way past that! We're sorry for what we did and we like to make up for it. So we offer you our help to take down that daimon."

Neptune nodded. "This enemy isn't like a normal daimon. I could see a strange presence within its body." She held up a mirror. "This talisman helped me look into it's soul..."

"Soul?" Jupiter wondered. "Daimons have no souls."

"Surprisingly, this one does," Uranus exclaimed. "And it does not work together with the Witches 5. It killed Eudial and ate her heart crystal."

Sailor Moon retched. "ATE it? Oh my... god!"

Sonic looked at the mirror. "So I see you finally found your 'talismans', huh?"

Neptune smiled. "Well, at least two of them. There should be only one left. And don't worry, we found a way to examine hearts without ripping them out of the body."

"Hey, would you please hurry?" Chibimoon yelled. "We still have to save Diana!"

"She's right," Uranus said. "I would suggest you and Sailor Moon go try to talk with her... stall for some time. Meanwhile, I'll try to attack the enemy from behind."

"Hey, but not with your usual blast, right?" Sonic shouted. "That would only harm the lil' kitty."

Uranus smiled and raised her new sword. "Don't worry, I'll just... cut her free!"

----

Twinkle Park was one of Station Square's main attractions. It was a big amusement park, divided into variou parts presenting different themes. One part stands for science-fiction and outer space, another part for fairy tales and fantasy stories. In this fantasy part of Twinkle Park, there was a big castle with many, mirrored walls. And inside Mirror Castle was Alpha's new hideout.

She looked down at her hostage. "It's a good thing I consumed many heart crystals earlier," she told the cat, who was struggling against the metal cable wrapped around her body. "Or I wouldn't have been able to resist devouring your little heart." She raised her arms. "And those hearts are making me strong... I still haven't all my old powers back, but I can already use some of the attacks my old host had learned."

"What are you going to do to me?" Diana asked in a scared voice.

"Oh, nothing for now," the daimon told her. "I need you to lure your little pink friend here. I sensed she has a very pure heart... I want to devour it!"

"No! Not Small Lady's heart!"

Alpha chuckled. "Oh, you won't be able to prevent me from taking it... I will savor its taste... And afterwards... I will kill every single one of those so-called 'Senshi'."

"I don't think it's going to be that easy," an amused voice said. "Or didn't you notice that you are only one single daimon, and they outnumber you?"

"Who's there?" the feline robot-daimon snarled. "Show yourself!"

"Don't worry! I'm not here to fight you..." Another metal figure stepped towards her. "Call me Metal Sonic. And I'm here with a message from my master, Dr. Robotnik..."

"And what do you want?" Alpha asked, still on edge.

Metal Sonic's eyes gleamed. "The robot you're possessing was once in my master's possession... and it had a mission. The doctor now wants to offer you an alliance... We'll help you defeat those Sailor Senshi, and in return... you'll hand over the small, pink girl!"

"HER?" Alpha snarled. "But I was sooo looking forward to her young, pure heart... Ah, dang! Well, I guess the others will do. But you better not trick me, or else..."

Metal Sonic snickered. "Would I do something like that?"

Diana looked at the blue robot in horror. "King Endymion? No... it can't be..."

----

Sailor Moon and Chibimoon carefully walked through the deserted halls. "Kinda... creepy here," Chibimoon whispered.

Sailor Moon looked around. "Look, there's a door! You think she's hiding there?"

"I hope so," her future daughter said. "I have to free Diana!" And she ran forward.

"Chibimoon, wait!" The blonde hedgehog ran after her.

They entered a hexagonal room. There was another door directly in front of them, the rest of the walls was covered with mirrors. It was a strange sight... like hundreds of blonde and pink hedgehogs were walking around the room.

On the floor in the middle of the room, a small grey shape was lying.

"Diana," Chibimoon cried.

"No, stay back," Diana moaned. "It's a trap!"

She was right. On each side, a metal portcullis shut down their escape routes.

Behind the mirrors, another figure appeared. It was Alpha. "Well, how nice of you to pay me a visit. But now you're trapped like rats! I'd like to consume your hearts, but... the little brat has something that I need! So hand over the Chaos Emerald nice and easy, you hear me?"

Moon gasped. "Chaos Emerald?"

Chibimoon winced and pulled a blue gem out of her clothes.

Her future mother groaned. "Chibiusa, why didn't you tell me you had one?"

"I'm sorry, Usagi," the girl said in a small voice. "I didn't know it was important. I just thought it was a pretty gem, so I took it with me."

"Enough with the yapping!" Alpha and her numerous counterparts in the mirrors yelled. "Put down the emerald next to the cat."

"Don't do it, Sailor Chibimoon," Diana whispered. "She's going to trick you."

"I know," Chibimoon replied. "But I have no choice..."

Moon looked around in desperation. She still couldn't see which of the many images was the real Alpha. What should she do? She only hoped the others would arrive in time.

"Space Sword Blaster!"

An energy wave cut through the opposite door and destroyed the portcullis. Sailors Neptune and Uranus ran into the middle of the room. "End of the line for you," Uranus yelled while Neptune freed Diana from her bounds.

"Crescent Beam!" A bright energy beam cut through the other door and missed Usagi's head by a few centimeters. The blonde hedgehog freaked.

"Don't forget about us," shouted Sailor Venus as she stormed the room together with Sonic, Amy and Jupiter.

"Venus, be careful where you shoot that stuff," Moon yelled. "You almost torched my head!"

"Oops," the ditzy bat giggled. "Sorry!"

Alpha snarled. "You'll never escape from here!"

Sonic looked around. "Which is the real one?"

Neptune smirked. "We'll find out in a moment! Everyone, step behind me!" As they did, she raised her mirror.

"SUBMARINE REFLECTION!"

The bright beam shot out of the mirror, hit one of the wall mirrors, got reflected, hit another one and bounced through the room until all of the mirrors were being shattered.

Behind one of the mirror shard piles, the fuming daimon was standing.

Venus took a deep breath. "How did you know we would be safe here?" she wondered.

The dolphin of Neptune smiled. "All a matter of geometry!"

Moon shuddered at the thought of her least favorite subject, math. "Let's just dust this thing."

"Yeah," Amy said in an excited voice. "She is all alone, it should be easy defeating her."

"Oooh, I don't think it will be that easy," Metal Sonic said as he stepped out of the hidden passageway behind Alpha.

"Metal Sonic," Sonic snarled.

Metal Sonic threw his living counterpart an amused glance. "How nice to see you again, my loathsome copy!"

"Shut up!" Sonic yelled.

The robot's gaze then wandered to Chibimoon. "And Chibiusa... my, my, after all what happened, I'm surprised that you aren't erased from the timeline... as if I would ever marry a pathetic creature like Usagi..."

Chibiusa recognized the voice. "M-m-mamoru?"

"Not anymore," the metal hedgehog corrected her. "I'm Metal Sonic now, and I serve the ingenious Dr. Robotnik."

Chibimoon stared at her future mother. "H-how? He is my father! How could you... how could you let something like this happen to him?"

"Chibiusa, I'm sorry..." whispered Sailor Moon, a small tear running down her cheek. Then she raised her Moon Rod. "But I'm gonna turn you back to your normal self, Mamoru!"

"I believe we have no time for that," Metal Sonic replied. He held out his hand. "The Chaos Emerald, please!"

Chibimoon clutched it to her chest. "N-no way!"

Metal Sonic sighed. "Chibiusa, be a good girl and listen to your daddy!"

"You're not my father," the future princess yelled. "My father is a kind and gentle man who would never take sides with a monster like that!" She pointed at Alpha.

"Less talking... more fighting," Uranus shouted and powered up her shot. "World Shaking!"

Neptune added: "Deep Submerge!"

The other Senshi and the two hedgehogs used their magical attacks as well:

"Sparkling Wide Pressure!" "Venus Love-Me-Chain!" "Sonic Wind!" "Storming Heart!"

Metal Sonic just raised his protective barrier. The attacks all bounced off. "Please... he huffed. "Don't waste my time!"

Uranus cursed. "He's strong..."

"Well, not strong enough," Sonic shouted and jumped towards his robotic counterpart. As he attacked him with a Homing Attack, Metal Sonic blocked by using his own Homing Attack.

"Enough of this," Alpha screamed and extended her right hand. She was reaching for Chibimoon.

"No!" Sailor Moon yelled and grabbed her future daughter. "I won't let you take her as well!"

"Stupid girl," the daimon growled and extended his other arm. "1000 Needles!" And out of the palm of the hand, a shower of stinging needles came hailing down on Sailor Moon.

She yelled in pain and had to release Chibimoon.

"Small Lady," Diana shouted and jumped to attack Alpha with her teeth. But of course, she just couldn't bite through metal. Alpha snatched her away and entwined both of her captives in her cables. "The pink hedgehog as main course, and the little kitty as dessert." She giggled. "I believe we're done here, 'boss'."

Metal Sonic glared at his enemies. "For now, yes... Goodbye, Sailor Moon. And don't worry: You'll be following your daughter soon!"

He shot a sphere of energy out of his chest and blasted a hole through the ceiling. And quickly, he and Alpha disappeared.

"Follow them," Uranus yelled, and she jumped up onto the roof. Sonic, Moon and Neptune followed her.

But outside, there was no trace of the two villains.

"Damn," Sonic grumbled. "They got away!"

Sailor Moon was sobbing. "No... Chibiusa..."


	10. Another blast to the past

The hotel manager was contently humming to the tune of his radio. It was a really nice day, and the visitors just kept coming. There were being reports about dangerous robots in the city, but as long as they didn't scare the guests away, he couldn't even less care. What really concerned him were the rumors that the train conductors were going on strike. Now THAT was a scary thought. When the trains don't run, how would the customers get to the hotel?

When the main door opened, he smiled. Another customer. Just good that this hotel had enough rooms.

"Welc..." He looked around. No person around here.

A small croak made him bend over. On the ground, in front of the counter, a pretty big, green frog was hopping. The manager freaked and jumped back. The frog jumped towards the open doors leading towards the pool and the beach.

The manager shook his head. Strange! How did this frog open the door anyways? He really preferred customers with money over green frogs that were hopping all over the hotel.

The door opened again. The manager turned around and yelped. It was one of the big robots the people were talking about. He came to destroy the hotel. He came to kill him! He came...

"Search for green amphibian initiated! Scanning area for any signs of the frog!" ('Excuse me, sir, but have you seen a green frog with a tail around here?')

The manager wiped his brow. At least this red robot doesn't seem to be hostile. "If... if you're looking for a frog, he went that way!" He pointed to the other door."

"Acknowledged! Now proceeding with search!" ('Thank you, and have a nice day!') The robot stomped out the door leading to the beach.

The manager let out a deep breath. Could this day get any weirder?

"Excuse me sir," a sweet voice asked. "But have you seen a big frog around here?"

"Yeah," a slow voice added. "He's my little buddy!"

It was a cute little rabbit girl and a big, fat cat with purple fur.

"Are you looking for the frog as well?" the manager mumbled. "He went towards the beach, if that's what you want to know..."

"Thank you very much!" The rabbit bowed. "Come on, Cheese!"

"Chao!" The little Chao zipped past the startled manager.

"Froggy! I'm coming!" They all headed out of the door.

"W-wait," the manager shouted. "Are you sure you don't want a room?"

But they had left already.

The poor man collapsed on his counter. His nerves were all on edge.

Suddenly, the main door opened up AGAIN. In came a big crocodile, a purple chameleon and a hyperactive bee.

"Whoohoo!" the bee shouted. "Beach time! Beach time!"

"Excuse me, sir," the crocodile said. "But we..."

"NO! I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOUR BLOODY FROG IS! NOW LEAVE ME THE HECK ALONE!" The manager turned around and went in his office. With a slam, his door was being shut before the confused faces of the Chaotix.

"Guess that means all rooms are occupied," Espio said with a shrug.

"Dang," Vector said. "And we were just saving our money to spend a weekend at the beach."

"Awww, no beach?" Charmy whined. "That sooooo sucks!"

----

Rei and Knuckles watched as the silver and golden echidna statues clicked into place and caused the secret door to the ruins to open.

Rei grinned at her partner. "Well done!"

Knuckles grinned back. "Well, I only dug them out... you found them!"

"Anyways, we should get inside... my senses are telling me that some shards are in there. Although I wonder how they got there..."

Knuckles bowed. "After you!"

Rei bowed as well. "Oh no, after YOU!"

Knuckles shrugged. "Well, if there are any traps inside, they won't hit you first this way, right?"

Rei nodded. "Exactly! Now, please go!"

----

Knuckles bashed one of the Robotnik robots that have been lurking inside the ruins. "Dammit," he growled. "Looks like Eggman has been searching here as well."

Rei took aim at a couple of spinning, blue robots. "Burning Mandala!"

The fiery rings cut through the air and destroyed the enemies. Rei lowered her hands. "All done! And look, they had another shard with them."

Knuckles picked them up. "Well, I think these are all that are in here. We have collected a considerable amount, right? We should return to the shrine soon to put them back together."

"Yes, you're right... Hey, what's that?"

"Huh? What?"

Rei pointed to the ball of light that was flitting around the chamber's walls.

Knuckles watched it closely. "I think... I've seen that light before."

"Really? Where?"

"I think it was... right before we had that strange dream... You know, about that ancient echidna village. It just rushed at me..."

"You mean, like it does now?" Rei asked.

Knuckles nodded. "Yes, exactly like..." He blinked. "Damn..."

And yet again, they got surrounded by a bright light.

----

This time, they weren't in the echidna village like before, but instead in some lush valley, on top of a steep cliff. Right underneath them, they could see a shrine that bore a striking resemblance to their own shrine, back on Angel Island...

"The Master Emerald?" Knuckles gasped. "And the Chaos Emeralds?"

"That proves it," Rei sighed. "This is some kind of vision of the past... Although, it all seems pretty real to me."

Knuckles peered down. "Hey, look! There's that echidna girl we met in the village last time."

"You mean Tikal? Where?"

He pointed down.

Tikal nervously was approaching the water basin surrounding the Master Emerald's pedestal. "Wow..." she said. "Is it okay for me to be here?"

No one replied, but Knuckles and Rei could have sworn that they heard some strange sound, like dripping water.

Tikal entered the shrine and looked around in amazement. Then, her gaze fell on the giant green emerald in front of her. "Could it be?" she said. Her gaze wandered over the pillars carrying the Chaos Emeralds. "The seven servers..." She looked back at the Master Emerald. "The controller itself..."

Rei and Knuckles looked at each other. "She's speaking of that verse she told us about last time," Knuckles guessed.

Rei nodded. "Yeah, that's what I thought too."

Just then, they were being transported back to their own time.

----

After appearing outside of the ruins, Rei shook her head. "I'll never get used to that feeling..."

Knuckles sighed and sat down on the ground. "Now, let's see... 'The servers are the seven Chaos... Chaos is Power...' and how does it continue?"

Rei pondered. "'Power is enriched by the hearts. The controller is the one that unifies the chaos...' Well, I'd say the seven servers are the Chaos Emeralds."

Knuckles nodded. "Then the controller itself... must be the Master Emerald! I got it! But... what does it all mean?"

Rei shrugged. "I guess we have to wait for the next blast to the past until we find out."

Suddenly, they heard loud voices approaching them.

"No, please, wait a minute!"

"Give me my friend back! I'm begging ya, please!"

The two echidnas looked at each other and ran towards the jungle path.

They almost got trampled by a bulky, red robot that was carrying some kind of green animal. Following him were a purple cat and a cream-colored rabbit with a blue Chao.

"Cream?" Rei asked. "What are you doing here? It's dangerous in the jungle."

"I know," Cream said. "But please, there's no time! We have been following this robot since he kidnapped Mr. Big's friend at the beach in Station Square!"

"Your friend?" Knuckles asked the big cat.

Big nodded. "Yup! My pal froggy! He's my best friend, and that mean robot just grabbed him without saying anything."

Rei grinned. "Well, we can't let him get away with it, can we?" she asked.

"W-wait a minute," Knuckles stuttered. "We have no time for this! We have to find the shards of the emerald..."

"Aw, come on! What's so bad about helping people in need now and then?"

Cream looked up at the red echidna with sparkling eyes. "Please, Mr. Knuckles?"

Knuckles sighed. Damn that kid and her puppy-dog-eyes. "Fine! But make it quick!"

They followed the footsteps of the robot to a very strange-looking bridge that lead to a tower jutting out of a canyon.

Big looked down into the canyon. "Wow," he said. "There are many pretty lights."

"Looks like a base to me," Rei said. "Do you suppose..."

She and Knuckles exchanged a glance and nodded. "Eggman," Knuckles said. "Definitely!"

"I wonder what he plans to do to Froggy..." Cream wondered.

"Chao chao!" Cheese gestured towards the bridge, where the Eggpawn guards just let the other robot enter.

"How do we get past these guards?" Cream wondered.

Knuckles smacked his fists together. "The old-fashioned way!"

----

Slowly, the Egg Carrier was once again rising into the air above the Mystic Ruins. It's mighty engines came to life, and the deafening roar scared all of the animals in the jungle.

On the ship's bridge, Eggman was looking at the various frogs his robots brought him. "Ahhrrg," he shouted in desperation. "Dummies, dummies, dummies, dummies! No one of you got the right one!"

At that moment, Metal Sonic and Alpha came in. "Good news, doctor," the roboticised prince of the Earth said. "We got the Chaos Emerald."

"Very well, at least you know how to do the job," the scientist grumbled. "Now, where is it?"

Eggman looked at Metal Sonic, and Metal Sonic looked at Alpha. She sweat-dropped. "Uh, I think I forgot it back in the cell where we locked in the girl and her cat."

"Graaaarrr," Eggman yelled. "Even though you seem to have gained some brains, you still are the stupid old pile of junk I created."

Alpha fumed at that remark, but stayed silent.

At that moment, E-102-Gamma entered the room, carrying a green frog. "Dr. Eggman..."

"What?" the scientist said impatiently while turning around. Then he gasped. "Ah! The frog! There it is! Right there! I'm proud of you, Gamma! You did your job pretty well... unlike certain other robots..."

He took the frog and gave it to Metal Sonic. "You take the frog down into the aquarium, and make sure he doesn't escape!"

"Yes, doctor," Metal Sonic grumbled, but he didn't dare to object. He took Froggy from the doctor and left.

"Now, I have a new job for you, Gamma," Eggman said. He pointed towards the jail door. "Go through that door! In there, you'll find a hedgehog girl and a cat. They have a blue jewel. Bring it to me!"

"Um, and what about me?" Alpha wanted to know.

Eggman turned around. "Well, well, well... You sure are different from the last time I have seen you. And you seem to have gained a new personality as well. So, tell me: Who are you and what are you planning to do?"

Alpha knew that this question was pretty important for the scientist. "I am Alpha! I am a daimon created by fusing a daimon egg from the death-busters with your robot. I decided to serve you, because you seem to know what you're doing... unlike those blasted witches."

Eggman seemed to accept that, as he nodded. "Good. Now, come with me... I have something I wanna show you..."

And while the doctor and the daimon left the room, E-102-Gamma stared indecisively at the door.

At the TWO doors that were there. Which was the right one again?

The robot just decided to try them both and entered the left door first.

It was a small room with a strange machine. On the ground, various machine and robot parts lay strewn. And inside the machine... a robot was attached to various clamps and hooks.

Well, at least parts of a robot.

And while two mechanical arms automatically demounted and attached various parts, Gamma stared up to the motionless 'face' of the white robot.

"Beta?" ('Artemis...?')

Gamma left the room.

"This is the wrong room!" ('Sigh...')

The robot turned around and entered the other door.

----

Knuckles peered carefully over the pile of boxes. "Looks like no one detected us."

Cream smiled. "Lucky!"

Rei concentrated. "Knuckles, do you feel that, too? This energy?"

Knuckles closed his eyes, then nodded. "Yes, there have to be several pieces of the Master Emerald on board. What do we do?"

Rei looked at the pleading faces of Cream, Cheese and Big. She smiled. "I guess we try to find the frog first."

Knuckles sighed. "Just my luck..."

----

"Small Lady, I'm scared! What are they going to do to us? What if they kill us? Or worse, what if they do to us what they did to King Endymion?"

"Now, now, calm down," Chibiusa told her advisor. "Everything will turn out just fine. Usagi's gonna get us out of here, I'm sure."

But she wasn't too sure of that herself...

A red robot entered and stepped up to the closed cage.

Angrily, Chibiusa looked up to it. "What do you want?"

"Hand me the blue jewel," Gamma said.

Chibiusa clutched the emerald to her body. "Nope!"

"Resistance is futile! Just hand over the jewel!"

Chibiusa shook her head. "No, never!"

That the robot didn't understand. "Why not?"

"I don't need to tell you anything," the pink-furred girl shouted. "You're not getting it and that's that!"

"Chibiusa, you shouldn't upset it," Diana said nervously. She stood up and padded over to the locked door. "Hello there, my name is Diana! What's your name?"

"This unit's serial number is 'E-102', code name: Gamma!"

Diana smiled. "Gamma, nice to meet you! Would you please let us out of the cell? I'm sure we can be friends if we try."

"Does not compute," the robot responded. "You have feelings for something you know nothing about. Illogical!"

"I know," the grey kitten replied. "But that doesn't mean we can't be friends, right?"

Chibiusa groaned. Diana's naivety sometimes made her head spin.

But what baffled her even more was the fact that suddenly, the robot began tilting back and forth wildly, and afterwards, walked over to the control panel of the cell door and opened it.

"Go, escape!" it said.

W-w-what?" Chibiusa stuttered. Did she hear correctly?

Diana smiled at her. "You heard the nice robot. Let's go!"

Chibiusa and her cat walked past the robot. "You know, you're really weird for a robot," she mumbled. "Perhaps Diana was right... you DO have a soft spot inside your metal frame." She smiled. "If you like, we can be friends, okay? See ya!" And they ran outside.

Gamma stayed back. Both Small Lady and her royal advisor didn't know that, after looking at Diana, deep inside E-102's memory storage, a strange image caused the robot to do what he just did.

A group image of three cats... A black one, a white one, and a small grey kitten...

----

Rouge carefully looked around the corner. She made it... she came close to the dark green hedgehog without her noticing it. Now, the only thing she had to do was to grab the Chaos Emeralds from her and...

Rouge blinked. The hedgehog girl was talking to someone. No, make that someTHING: A floating ball of light.

Rouge rubbed her eyes. Did she drink a glass to much yesterday evening?

"Those two have the talismans! The others have the emeralds! What else do you want me to do?"

The ball of light tilted from left to right. "Well, I'm very impressed with you up to now... but there is one thing you have to do until you are ready to know the truth."

"Great," Pluto groaned. "And that would be?"

"You have to find the location of the Senshi of Silence: Sailor Saturn!"

"Oh! Is that all? I mean, it's not that I have any clues, but..."

"She is one the most powerful Senshi that exists. You'll recognize her by her powerful aura... And make haste! I feel that something evil is trying to take over her mind."

"You mean you can feel her mind, but don't know who she is?"

"Yes, exactly!"

Pluto put a hand on her face. "Okay, okay, I'll do it! But that better be the last task you make me do, you hear?"

The unknown voice giggled. "Clearly! Now, I have to go. And good luck!"

The ball of light encircled Pluto once, then flew away.

Pluto sighed. For a few moments, she did nothing. Then, she said: "You can come out now!"

Rouge was so surprised that she didn't even think about staying hidden. "You spotted me?" she asked. "I was trained to be a thief by my mother and to be a spy by the government. How did you know I was there?"

"Simple," Pluto smiled. "I could feel your life force."

"Oh, not more of that mystical mumbo-jumbo," groaned the bat. "Is everyone in this town superstitious?"

"Not exactly," Pluto said. "But I guess it takes more then an explanation to convince you. Now, why were you going after me?"

"Well, if you know I'm here, I might tell you as well... I was being hired to retrieve the Chaos Emeralds you stole! So where are they?"

"I already told those two Senshi, I didn't steal them. Or, if you have to call it stealing, I was just stealing from the thieves. GUN had no right of having those emeralds!"

"Oh, please! GUN is one of the most powerful defense forces of this planet. It's influence is even bigger then that of the president himself. Do you really think they require using such methods as stealing?"

Pluto shook her head. "When it is about power or money, people did things that were even worse. To answer your question: I don't have the emeralds any more."

"You gotta be kidding me," Rouge groaned. "And where are they?"

"Who knows? I made sure the Senshi and that blue hedgehog would get them, but perhaps that scientist took them away already. Or these strange witches have some... I just don't know."

"That means I have to start my whole search over," grumbled the secret agent. "Well, at least I'll have an easier time spying on Sonic than on you."

Pluto raised an eyebrow. "You're not going to turn me over to GUN?"

"Nah, why should I? They just told me to return the three Chaos Emeralds you took from their base. You don't have them, I have no more business with you. Now if you excuse me, I have a job to do."

And by ramming the iron tips of her boots into the house wall next to them, she climbed up on the roof and was gone.

Pluto shrugged. She also had a job to do. Now where would she find that Sailor Saturn girl?

----

Hotaru gasped and sat up in bed. She was sweating, and her breath came out in short gasps.

"Is something wrong, Hotaru?" murmured Ami who was sharing a room with the violet-haired girl.

"No... No, everything is fine, Ami. It was just a bad dream."

"Oh, that's all... Okay then, good night!" She turned back around.

"Good night, Ami..."

But in reality, little Hotaru was far from fine. She now was sure that the scary-looking woman from her dream was somehow real. And even scarier was how she resembled herself...

Hotaru sighed and lay down again. Soon, she was sleeping, without any bad dreams.

On her forehead, a strange symbol was glowing shortly, then disappearing.

The symbol of Saturn...


	11. Fighting an old friend

Tails was attaching the green emerald to the front of the new plane. It was at the usual place, directly on the propeller. 

The plane itself was really a sight to behold: Painted in a cobalt blue, and decorated with the picture of two fox tails. Along the sides of the wings, yellow stripes were running. 

Tails stepped back and admired his handiwork. Yes, very nice. 

Ami came out of the hut. "Hey, nice work, bro! So, we're finally ready to pursue some giant airship?" 

"I think so, but I really hope that this time, it won't turn into a monster..." 

Ami smirked. "Well, then I just have to punish it in the name of Mercury." 

Tails chuckled. "Yeah, I forgot... my sister, the unstoppable Sailor Mercury! You know, Mercury has always been my favorite Senshi." 

"Flatterer," his sister said. "Well, what should we do about Hotaru? We can't exactly take her with us, can we? I mean, it's gonna be pretty dangerous up there..." 

"It's mainly her decision, but I'll try to convince her," Tails said. "Is she awake yet?" 

"Wait, I'll take a look," Ami said. 

But then, she stopped. Her Senshi senses were tingling... 

And she jumped away just in time, when a small fireball hit the ground where she just stood. 

"Aw, I missed," Alpha whined. She was standing at the edge of the hill, accompanied by all the E-Series robots (minus Beta and Gamma). "Well, these guys can aim better than me anyways. Now, would you please tell me where you hid Hotaru Robotnik? Her father is really worried about her." 

"She's getting back to him when she wants, not because some tin cans are shooting at her friends before asking questions," Tails replied. "Ami, behind the hut!" 

"Got it," she nodded and ran back. 

Alpha pointed at the small fox. "Get him, boys," she shouted. 

"Affirmative!" the robots Delta, Epsilon and Delta said as one. They raised their arm cannons and fired. 

But although they were being equipped with lock-on devices, Tails was simply too fast for them. He ran, flew and rolled under the various missiles and laser blasts, until he reached Alpha. 

"Gotcha," he said and smacked her hardly with his tails. 

"Ouch," she said. "How can a hit from two fox tails hurt that much? Aqua Breath!" 

The watery blast shot Tails away from the daimon and her minions. And as he was lying dizzily on the ground, he wasn't able to see the robots that were once again raising their weapons. 

"Shabon Spray!" And all of a sudden, a thick mist coated the area. The robots lowered their weapons in confusion, unable to aim in that mist. 

Sailor Mercury ran up to her brother and helped him up. "Are you all right?" she asked. Tails nodded. "Yeah! Thanks!" 

"Aeroblast!" A massive burst of wind swept the mist away. "If you want to have it done right, do it yourself," Alpha snorted. She took aim. "Aqua Breath!" 

Mercury responded immediately. "Shabon Spray Freezing!" The water lance turned into a heavy block of ice that fell down on the floor and shattered. 

"Now you've done it," Alpha snarled. "You made me really angry." 

Suddenly, the door of the workshop burst open and Hotaru was standing there. She seemed to be looking down at the ground. 

"Ah, there you are, sweetie," the daimon said. "Your father wants you to come with me. Hurry up or I'll have to hurt your friends." 

Hotaru slowly looked up. Her eyes were a gleaming purple... it looked creepy, somehow. 

Alpha laughed nervously. "That girl gives me the creeps." 

Hotaru looked at the E-Series and raised her hand. A blast of purple energy shot out of it and hit all of the robots at once. 

And with a big explosion, the metal bodies of the robots were reduced to a pile of scrap metal. Luckily, the animals that were powering them survived the blast, somehow. 

"Hey, what's the big idea?" Alpha yelled angrily. "We were just taking you back to daddy, so what do you think you're doing?" 

Hotaru slowly turned around her head and STARED at her. Alpha gulped and sweated while stepping back. "Um, I think I'll go now... yeah, that would be the best. Bye..." And she ran away as fast as she could. 

Tails and Ami looked at their friend in confusion. "Hotaru?" 

Then, Hotaru closed her eyes and swooned. Tails was fast enough to catch her before she hit the ground. 

When Hotaru opened her eyes again, they were their normal color. "W-what happened?" 

"You mean you don't remember anything?" Ami asked. 

"Remember what?" Hotaru asked puzzled. "I just know that the racket outside woke me up, and when I went to tell you to keep your voices down a little, I somehow felt dizzy... And the next thing I know, I'm out here, and Tails is holding me. Can YOU tell me what exactly happened?" 

Tails looked at his sister worriedly. Just what happened to Hotaru? 

----

"Are you sure you want to come along, Hotaru?" Tails asked in a worried tone. 

His human friend nodded. "Definitely! I have to confront my father. If what you told me about this 'Chaos' is true, I have to talk him out of it. I know he doesn't like other humans very much, but... perhaps he's listening to me." 

"All right then," Ami said. "Good thing we built in three seats for the Tornado II." She was already sitting in the navigator's seat. "I checked all systems, if you are ready, we can start!" 

Hotaru nodded and jumped into the gunner's seat. "You know how to use that?" Ami asked. Hotaru smiled. "Hey, my father creates all kinds of weapons for his robots, all the time. I should have picked something up from him." 

Tails nodded and manned the pilot's seat. "Okay then, time to fly!" 

Tails activated the main engine. "Emerald power flow constant. All systems working." 

Ami pressed a few buttons on the computer. "Navigation system online. Weather is fine, only a small breeze. Wind direction is northeast." 

Hotaru checked her weapons. "Gun and missile status okay. All weapons working." 

Tails sighed. "Okay then, Tornado II ready for takeoff!" 

He looked at the emerald power display. "Emerald, do your stuff," he murmured. 

In front of them, the big door of his underground hangar opened. And then the young fox gripped the joystick and let the Tornado II fly. 

"Away we go!" 

---- 

Sailor Moon looked down at Neptune and Uranus. "You sure you don't want to come?" 

"We're pretty sure," Uranus said. "First thing, we don't even fit all in that thing. Second thing, we still have to find the third talisman. But good to know that we're on the same side, now." 

Usagi smiled. "Yes, that's really nice." 

Sonic looked at Amy. "You really wanna come along? It could be pretty dangerous." 

"And what of it? I can take care of myself pretty well, Sonic. Let that egg-head try to get me. I'll make him pay with my mallet." 

Sonic laughed. "Well, I won't stop you... it's your decision." 

"Right," the pink hedgehog nodded. "After all, Chibiusa is my friend as well." 

"Well, it's a pity we can't come with you," Venus said. "But Amy and Sonic will be a great help, I'm sure." 

"Yeah," Jupiter added. "We'll try to find Rei and help her find the remaining Master Emerald shards. And afterwards, perhaps I can help Minako talk to Rouge... she seemed kinda upset that she just left her behind." 

"I understand," Usagi nodded. "I promise I come back with Chibiusa, Diana, the Chaos Emeralds, and, if I'm lucky, perhaps even with Luna, Artemis and Mamoru." 

Sonic, Amy and Sailor Moon entered the Moon Jet. The others waved, while those three started their engine and took off themselves. 

---- 

Chibiusa woke up startled. "What's wrong, Chibiusa?" Diana asked. 

"They're coming for us," the future daughter of Usagi and Mamoru whispered. "I know it, Usagi and the others will get us out of this ship." She stood up. "Come on, let's keep on searching. We have to find an exit out of this maze." 

Diana sighed. "All right... but I didn't even have breakfast." 

They left the bathroom where they had spent the night in hiding and continued walking through the endless corridors of the Egg Carrier. 

---- 

Knuckles, Rei, Big and Cream had spend a similar night in the cargo area of the ship. By now, they were searching for a way to the ship's aquarium. 

"I can feel it," Knuckles murmured. "The emerald shards have to be around here somewhere." 

"Froggy, too?" Big said in an excited voice. Cream smiled. "I'm so happy for you, Mr. Big!" 

"Chao chao chao," Cheese added happily. 

Rei sighed. "I'm afraid this is going to be a hard day for all of us..." 

---- 

Dr. Eggman couldn't sleep that night. "Hotaru..." he murmured. "Where are you? How could you leave your father like this? Don't you know how worried I am?" 

E-102-Gamma came in. "Sir, the Egg Carrier is ready to fly back to the base." ('We wasted enough of our time, let's head back already.') 

The scientist sighed. "All right, I'm coming." 

After he entered the bridge, Metal Sonic stepped up next to him. "Doctor, you don't look so well. Did you sleep well?" 

"Spare me the stupid questions," Eggman snapped, back to his obnoxious manners. "Prepare the ship for leaving, we are done here. Let's head back to the base..." He looked onto a monitor. "Hmmm, look's like it's gonna be pretty stormy today..." 

Several minutes later (the storm began to intensify), Alpha walked up to Eggman. "Sir," she reported. "There are two aircrafts approaching us from two different directions. One of them is the white plane of the Senshi. The other one is unknown, but... that two-tailed fox and your daughter are on board!" 

"WHAT?" Eggman yelled. "What is she doing out there with that damned Tails?" 

"It looks like their intentions are not friendly," Metal Sonic muttered. "Shall I prepare the jet fighters for battle?" 

"Okay, but make sure not to attack my daughter, you hear me? Concentrate your fire on the white aircraft! Deploy the air mines! Everyone on your post! Gamma, bring me the frog and the missing Chaos Emerald, you hear me? Don't fail me!" 

---- 

"There it is," Sonic shouted. "The Egg Carrier!" 

"Well, things are about to get ugly," Usagi shouted back. "We're getting into a storm." 

"We have no choice," Sonic replied. "This could be our last chance of getting Eggman." 

"I'm with you," Amy said. "Hey, look! There's another plane approaching the Egg Carrier!" 

Sonic looked closer. "Isn't that... Tails?" 

---- 

"Are you two okay?" Tails asked. 

"Yes," Hotaru replied. "Only a little nervous about this weather." 

"Sonic, I have a second plane on radar," exclaimed Ami. "It's the Moon Jet... Usagi is here, too!" 

"Well, we're lucky then," Tails said while steering the Tornado II to the right. "Because there are the first attackers!" 

"Brace yourselves!" Ami shouted, and then they entered the battle between Eggman's jets and the Moon Jet. 

----

The door opened. Chibiusa looked out, slipped into the room and sighed. Only a few seconds later, Diana followed her. "I think we finally found the exit," the grey kitten said. Chibiusa nodded. "Yeah, but it took us longer to find it then I thought it would." She looked around the room. "You know, that Eggman sure is a strange guy. I mean, why should he have a swimming pool aboard his battle airship?" 

Diana shrugged as best as a cat could. "Let's get out of here, shall we?" 

But before they could go any step further, a blinding light surrounded them. 

---- 

Chibiusa blinked. "Wow, that sure was bright." 

"Yeah, but look around. This isn't the place we were in just now." 

Diana was right. They were in a place Knuckles and Rei had already seen... the village of the echidnas. 

"That's strange..." murmured Chibiusa. "There are echidnas everywhere. But you know, when that light blinded us, I had a weird feeling that somehow felt familiar. I think it kinda felt like when I use the key to travel through time." 

"You mean we're in the past?" Diana asked. 

"Perhaps. Come on, let's ask someone around here." 

Just then, they heard a loud voice nearby. The voice of a girl. 

"Please, father, don't..." 

It was a young, orange-furred echidna girl who was talking to an elderly echidna with a beard. His clothes suggested that he could be the tribe's leader. 

"Tikal," the old man said. "The seven emeralds are essential to our survival. It is for the good of the people." 

"How can I make you understand?" Tikal asked desperately. "Attacking other countries, stealing and killing, can't be the right path to peace. No one should be allowed to take their holy grounds." 

But her father just shook his head and walked away. 

"Please, father, I beg you!" Tikal hurried after him. 

Chibiusa scratched her head. "What was that all about?" 

---- 

Suddenly, they re-appeared in the Egg Carrier's pool room. Chibiusa shook her head. "Strange. But I think we were being sent there for a reason." 

"You think so?" Diana asked. 

Chibiusa nodded. "I'm pretty sure of it. I think someone wanted us to listen to that conversation." 

"Let's talk about that later, okay? I think we should just concentrate on escaping now." 

"Yes," the pink-furred girl agreed. "You're right. Come on, let's get out of here!" 

----

Tails wiped his brow as the last of the fighters went down. "Phew," he said. "That was too close." 

"You can say that again," Ami agreed. "Now, to land on that thing." 

Tails nodded, but then, he realized something. 

"Ooops..." 

His sister looked at him. "What's up?" 

"I forgot something..." 

"What's that?" Hotaru asked. 

Tails laughed nervously. "I forgot to put in the landing gear." 

Ami groaned. "Oh, bro..." 

---- 

After an uncomfortable landing, both the Tornado II and the Moon Jet were standing next to each other on the Egg Carrier's wide deck. 

Usagi ran up to the blue fox and hugged her. "Ami!" 

Ami was surprised. "Usagi? Hey, what's wrong?" 

The hedgehog of the moon sniffed. "That meanie Eggman! He kidnapped Chibiusa and Diana!" 

Ami gasped. "Oh no!" 

Sonic growled. "I think it's time to tach that slimeball a lesson." 

But Hotaru shook her head. "No, please don't hurt him." 

"Huh?" Sonic was puzzled. "Why not? And who are you, by the way?" 

Hotaru stared at the ground. "My name is Hotaru. I am... Dr. Robotnik is... he's my father." 

"You gotta be kidding me," Sonic blurted out. "How could a guy like him have such a girl as a daughter?" 

Hotaru glared at him. "Okay, continue insulting him. When you are ready, we can go and talk to him about it, right?" 

Amy bopped Sonic gently on the head. "Sonic, try not to be so rude, okay?" She walked up to the blue fox. "Hi, I haven't seen you before. From your looks I'd say you are one of Tails' relatives. He and I have been friends for a long time by now." 

Tails grinned. "Amy, meet Ami! Ami, meet Amy!" 

Amy blinked. 

Ami blinked. 

Then they both giggled. "Nice name you have," the pink hedgehog finally said. 

"Yeah," Tails' sister nodded. "I can say the same for you." 

Sonic looked around the Egg Carrier in amazement. "Wow," he said. "That thing is really huge." 

"No time to gawk, Sonic," Tails reminded him. "We have to find Eggman... and your friend, what's her name again?" 

"Chibiusa..." Usagi said. "And she's my daughter from the future." 

Tails shrugged. Wasn't too strange. Not after everything that happened to him and Sonic. 

Then, a door opened and a small girl with a grey cat appeared. She smiled when she saw her friends. "Usagi!" 

Usagi laughed in relief. "Chibiusa! You're okay!" 

They ran towards each other. 

But suddenly, a big shape descended onto them. It was the Eggmobile. 

"Haha, looks like everyone's here for the party," Eggman chuckled. "But it's too late..." His vessel extended a mechanical arm and reached for Chibiusa. 

"NO!" Usagi cried and jumped towards her future daughter. She managed to push her out of the way, but the blue Chaos Emerald rolled over the ship's deck. 

The Eggmobile's arm grabbed the emerald and delivered it to the scientist. "Hahaha," he shouted. "Too slow!" 

Hotaru stepped forward. "Papa, please... stop this! Let my friends go and stop hurting everyone!" 

The doctor looked at his daughter in surprise. "Hotaru?" Then his gaze hardened. "I thought I told you to stay back at the base." 

"I don't want to be captured in your metal prison all the time, Papa," she said. "I want to be free, to meet my friends... And you never take care of me." She was almost crying. 

The doctor grumbled. "I really don't have time for this..." He snapped his fingers. A dark shape shot out of the sky, swooped down on the unsuspecting group, scooped up Hotaru and flew up again. 

"Believe me, this is for your best," Metal Sonic told the struggling girl. 

"Bring her back to the base," Eggman said. "And make sure to treat her well." 

The robot nodded. "Yes, doctor!" 

"Mamoru!" Usagi shouted. "Put Hotaru down right now!" 

Metal Sonic glared at his ex-girlfriend. "How many times do I have to tell you, my name is METAL... SONIC!" And he fired a plasma shot at Sailor Moon. 

She dodged in time, but couldn't stop the metal hedgehog as he turned around and flew away from the Egg Carrier, together with Hotaru. 

Tails looked really worried, but Ami put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry! I'm sure she'll be fine." 

Sonic looked up to his archenemy. "Doctor, this time you've gone too far. Come down here and take your punishment like a good egg!" 

The scientist fumed. "Be gone! All of you! This is all I really need! Gamma!" 

And the red robot stepped out of the door behind them. "What is your wish, Master Robotnik?" ('What NOW?') 

"Get rid of these pests! Show them what you've got! And don't disappoint me, or else..." 

E-102-Gamma looked at the assembled group. The mechanical eyes wandered to Usagi and Diana. 

"Aye aye, sir! I will comply!" ('Curse you, Robotnik... but I have no choice.') 

The robot raised its gun and aimed for the heroes. 

Sonic snarled. "I'll make him eat dirt." 

Usagi pondered. "That voice... can it be? It's... it's Luna!" 

Diana gasped. "My mother?" 

Amy stepped in front of the blue hedgehog. "Stop it, Sonic!" 

"A-Amy? But that's one of Eggman's clunkers! Out of the way!" 

"No!" shouted Chibiusa. "This robot is different. She helped me earlier by letting me and Diana escape. And if it's really Luna..." 

"I don't have time for this," Eggman grumbled to himself. Without the others noticing it, he flew over to the planes and pulled the green emerald off its place on the Tornado II. Afterwards, he flew towards the front of the ship. 

"Okay," Sonic said finally. "I guess I'll let her go, then." 

Usagi looked at Luna with pleading eyes. "Luna, please... try to remember! We are friends, right? You wouldn't hurt me... or your daughter, Diana? Please, come to your senses." 

"It's no use," Tails said. "She's being controlled completely by Eggman's programming." 

E-102's gaze wandered back to the small kitten. Like a flash, images appeared before its eyes. Dr. Eggman... Chibiusa and Diana in the cell... Beta, as he was hanging inside the machine that was re-assembling his parts, the picture of Diana, Artemis and... herself. Luna. 

Gamma lowered her weapon. "Dr. Robotnik... enemy! Master registration... deleted! Senshi... friends! Must... help!"

('Usagi... Diana... what have I done? Artemis... I won't let myself being controlled by that machine anymore. I won't! I WON'T!') 

And with a flash, the robot's body jerked around. Finally, it looked around and said, with a slightly more normal-sounding voice: 

"Everyone... I'm back!" 

"LUNA!" the Senshi cried. 

"MOM!" Diana shouted happily. 

Luna/Gamma looked down at her robotic body. "Wow... I really changed since we last saw each other, huh?" 

Sailor Moon raised her Moon Rod. "Don't worry! I'll turn you back to your old self. Just you wait!" 

But the robot stopped her. "No... Usagi, wait! I... I want to stay like this, at least until we can save Artemis. He shouldn't suffer longer then myself. And besides..." She raised her arm cannon. "These weapons will come in handy, right?" 

Usagi lowered her rod, a little sad about Luna's decision. "Oh... okay! If that's what you want..." 

"Can we go now?" Chibiusa asked. Usagi looked down at her. "Well, we still have to capture Eggman... but it's too dangerous to take you along." 

That made Chibiusa frown. "No, that's not true! I'm a Senshi, too! And now I'm gonna stay and kick that egg-head into his... you know..." 

Suddenly, they heard a sound, like that of a jet engine. They looked up and saw a white robot flying towards them. It was Beta... but he had changed. He had no longer any legs, and his arms were now massive and had sharp claws. On his back, a more advanced missile launcher was attached. 

And when E-101-MK II flew down, Gamma/Luna stared up at him. 

"Artemis..." 


	12. The old mural

"I can't believe it," Rei shouted. "We managed to stumble upon the emerald shards even before we found your friend." 

Big nodded. "Hmmmm, I'm happy for you, but... I miss my Froggy and fishing..." 

Suddenly, Cream pointed ahead of them. "Look, there's a door." 

They opened it. Behind it, there was a circular room with a cylindrical pedestal in its middle. All around the walls, fish tanks could be seen. 

Big climbed up the pedestal using a ladder and looked around. Finally, he pointed to one of the fish tanks, where a big, green frog with a strange tail was swimming around. "Ah! There's Froggy! Looks like he needs my help!" 

"This place... is somewhat strange," Rei exclaimed. "Why would Eggman have an aquarium on his airship?" 

Cream looked around the room, until she found something. It was a big, round, red switch. "Ooooooh..." 

"Hey Rei," Knuckles shouted. "Look at this!" He pointed to a sign hanging at the wall. He read aloud: "Hot Shelter! Aquariums to keep rare aquatic species used for creating underwater robots. Water also keeps the ship's reactor cool. Please do not drain the tanks!" 

Rei sweat-dropped. "Who on earth would use fish tanks to cool a reactor?" 

"Hey guys," Creams excited voice called out. "Look what I found!" She pointed to the red switch. 

Rei and Knuckles turned around... and gulped. "DON'T PRESS THE SWITCH! DON'T PRESS THE SWITCH!" 

"Huh?" Cream said. Her finger went down on the button. 

Rei groaned. "You pressed it..." 

And suddenly, they were being showered by the aquarium water that poured out of the fish tanks, after the glass panels had slid up. 

Cream and Cheese managed to fly up in time and Big was already standing on the pedestal in the middle, but Rei and Knuckles got completely drenched. 

Big sat down and threw out his fishing rod. "Now be a good froggy and bite down on the fishing line, yes?" he happily said. 

Rei surfaced and spit out some water. "Cream... don't press any buttons without knowing what they will do." 

Cream giggled. "Sorry..." 

Knuckles looked around. "Oh no, where is my bag with the Master Emerald shards?" Then he saw it lying on the ground of the basin. "There it is!" And he dove down. 

He didn't realize that a dark shape was approaching him. Rei gasped. That crazy Eggman had sharks in his aquariums? "Knuckles, watch out!" But of course, he couldn't hear her. 

Rei jumped out of the water and raised her transformation pen. "Mars Star Power, Make Up!" 

And she turned into Sailor Mars. 

Cream looked at her with sparkling eyes. "Wow! That was cool!" 

Big just continued fishing. 

Mars looked at the shark. It almost had reached the unsuspecting echidna. She took aim... 

"Fire Soul!" The fire attack shot through the water and managed to hit the shark before it was being extinguished by the water. The shark jerked around in pain and quickly swum away. 

Grasping the bag with the emerald shards, Knuckles came shooting out of the boiling water. "YEEEOOOOOOWCH! HOT! HOT! HOT!" 

Mars giggled nervously. "Oops..." 

After cooling down, the male echidna panted heavily and glared at Mars. "Dammit, Rei... what were you planning to do? Boil me alive?" 

"Sorry, but you see, there was this big shark and..." Suddenly, she thought of something and gasped. "Oh no! I may have boiled Froggy!" 

But then, a croak made them turn around. Big was happily holding his friend. "I managed to pull him out of the water in time," he said. "Froggy! Huhuhuhuh! Now we're finally back together again, huh?" 

The frog didn't seem too happy and struggled against Big's powerful grasp. But Big didn't seem to realize it. 

Just then, a ball of light appeared out of nowhere and flew towards them. Knuckles groaned. "Oh, not that again..." 

---- 

Big looked around in confusion. "Where are we, Froggy?" 

"This place looks nice," Cream said. "Oh, look over there, Cheese: Chao!" 

"Chao chao!" Cheese said excitedly and floated over to them. 

Knuckles and Rei heard a familiar voice speaking inside the shrine. 

"I beg of you, please hear me out! My father will come here shortly, and I'm afraid what he will do... Please, you must take everyone away from here." 

Once again, no one responded, only that strange dripping sound could be heard. 

"So you say you can't leave this place?" Tikal sighed. "Never mind. I'll try talking to my father again. I must do something... quickly!" She turned back around to her Chao friends... and gasped as she saw the giant cat. "No, don't hurt them!" 

She ran towards Big who looked at her in confusion. "Um, hello," he said. "The name's Big... I'm a cat!" 

"Say, these Chao are very friendly," Cream said with a smile. "Are they your friends?" 

Tikal breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry. Guess you're not one of them, huh?" She turned around to face Rei and Knuckles. "Oh, it's you again..." 

"Hello Tikal," Rei said. "Um, who were you talking to just now?" 

Tikal smiled. "Oh, he's the guardian of this holy place. Under his protection, these little Chao can continue singing in peace. I was scared when I first met him, but he's actually a very gentle creature." Her face grew sad. "But now my father wants to take away their holy grounds, and I'm afraid of what will happen." 

The Chao looked at her in concern. Tikal knelt down to them. "Don't worry, my friends! I won't let you down... I promise!" 

Just then, the image of Tikal, the Chao and the shrine vanished in front of their eyes. 

---- 

They appeared back in the Egg Carrier. "That's strange," Big murmured. Cream nodded. "Yes, but that girl was really nice." 

Suddenly, the Egg Carrier shook around. "Hey, what's happening here?" Knuckles shouted. 

"Oh my god," Rei yelled. "I believe that's our fault. We drained the water that cooled down the ship's reactor... and now it's going down." 

"Oh no," Cream said frightened and clutched Cheese to her chest. 

"If something happens to us, I don't know who will bother to save us all," Big mumbled. 

Knuckles looked into his bag. "Well, we got all of the emerald shards... so that means there's no reason for us to stay here. So I say we should find a way of getting out of here." He looked around. "We should head for the deck. How do we get there?" 

Rei pointed over to a monorail that was used to get from this room to the deck. "How about using that?" 

----

Gamma/Luna looked up at the floating form of her friend, who was still imprisoned within that white robot. 

"Artemis," she said. "I will free you from that thing." 

Beta responded by releasing 5 missiles at once that came raining down on the heroes. Usagi braced herself for the explosion, but Gamma quickly shot down all of the missiles at once. 

"We have no time for this," Sonic shouted. "We have to catch Eggman!" 

"Go ahead and follow him," Gamma/Luna said. "I'll take care of Artemis." 

"I'll stay and help you," Sailor Moon said in a determined voice. 

"Me too," Chibiusa nodded after turning into Chibimoon. 

"All right, I think we can take care of Eggman by ourselves," Amy said. "Right, Tails?" 

"Um... whatever you say." 

Usagi turned around to face Ami. "Mercury... go with your brother! Protect him! We'll see you later, okay?" 

Ami nodded. "Okay, good luck!" And she followed Sonic, Amy and Tails. 

"Look out," Diana shouted suddenly, as the floating robot came charging at them with outstretched claws. 

"Pink Sugar Heart Attack!" That stopped Beta in his tracks. 

Gamma/Luna raised her weapon. "Artemis... this is for your own good." And she fired. 

The shot hit their opponent, but it still wasn't down. Beta flew high up into the air and charged up his hidden plasma cannons underneath his hands. 

"Watch out," Usagi shouted. "Quick, everyone, scatter!" 

Beta didn't aim for Sailor Moon or Chibimoon... He aimed at a certain, red robot. 

But at the same time, Gamma/Luna fired another shot at him. 

Both shots hit their target at the same time. Both robots went down in enormous blasts. E-101 fell down on the Egg Carrier's deck, while Gamma collapsed. 

"Luna," Usagi shouted. "Artemis! Oh no!" 

"It's... okay," Luna told her friend. "I'm fine... trust me, this is for the better..." And then her voice died. 

Diana walked over to the unmoving form of Beta. He, too, didn't move. "Mom? Dad?" She sniffed. "No... that can't be true..." 

But then, she heard something... A scratching sound coming from Beta's torso. And then, a muffled voice: "Hey, can anyone get me out of this thing?" 

Diana shouted in surprise: "Usagi! Chibiusa! Come, quick!" 

Sailor Moon ran over to her and searched for a way to open the metal chest. When she found the closed entrance to the robot's power chamber, she opened it with a powerful yank. 

Dazed and confused, but not harmed in any way, Artemis came stumbling out of the robot's torso. "Ooooooh..." he groaned. "Where am I? And what hit me?" He looked up. "Oh, hey guys! What's up?" 

Diana tackled him to the ground. "Stupid Dad! We thought you were dead." 

While Artemis tried to figure out what was going on, Sailor Moon hurried over to the other robot. She opened the power chamber, and... Luna was falling down into her lap. 

The black mooncat looked up at her princess and smiled. "Usagi... good job." 

Usagi clutched her best friend to her chest. "Oh, Luna... I'm so happy to have you back..." 

At that moment, the ship was shaking around wildly. 

----

The monorail came to a stop. Quickly, its four occupants jumped outside. 

"So, we made it," Knuckles said. "Now, where should we go? We cannot exactly fly down there, can we?" 

"I can," Cream said. Cheese nodded. "Chao!" 

Rei smiled. "Well, Cream can get away safely, and you can use your gliding ability, Knuckles... but what about me and Big?" 

Knuckles pondered. "I think I would be able to carry you... but Big? No way!" 

Suddenly, a dark shape loomed over them. 

It was Chaos, still in his form of an oversized shark. 

Rei suddenly got reminded of the scene in the Hot Shelter. 

"You," Knuckles shouted. "You still don't have enough? Come and get some!" 

Then, the Eggmobile appeared next to them. "Ahahahaha," Eggman laughed. "I think I arrived just in time. You weren't planning on escaping, were you?" 

"Eggman," Knuckles snarled. "Come down here and I'll kick your butt!" 

Cream bowed. "Please, Mr. Eggman, wouldn't you please let us go?" 

"Not a chance," the doctor huffed. "You still have something I need. But first..." He threw the blue and green emeralds to Chaos. 

The water creature once again transformed in a flash. This time, he looked like an enormous monster with a round body, four small legs and a broad mouth. The Chaos Emeralds could be seen floating around his body. 

"All right," Eggman shouted in excitement. "And now, for the frog!" 

Froggy slipped out of Big's grasp. The tail controlling him made him hop up in front of Chaos. 

"The frog is possessed by Chaos' tail," Eggman explained. "Once he gets it back, he will be ultra-strong... even though he's not perfected yet." 

And as Froggy got absorbed into Chaos' body, the tail on his backside got shorter and shorter until it disappeared. 

Instead, a long, scorpion-like tail appeared at Chaos' backside. 

"Hahaha, way to go, Chaos," the scientist laughed. 

Just then, Sonic and the others arrived. "Oh no," Sonic shouted. "Chaos has transformed again." 

"He must have snagged the Chaos Emerald from the Tornado II," Tails suspected. 

Big looked at his buddy, floating around the water monster's body, with big eyes. "I must save Froggy!" 

"If he's your friend, I'll help you," Sonic said. Ami nodded. "Me too." 

"Me three," Amy added. "This ugly beast won't be able to stop us all." 

"Enough of that," Eggman shouted. "Chaos, destroy them all! Now!" 

Chaos growled at his enemies. His hatred towards all living beings was unsurpassed. Only his determination of getting his powers back had convinced him to work with Eggman. He launched his bulky body high up into the air and came crashing down again. 

The massive shockwave knocked almost everyone down on the ground. Only Sonic and Knuckles were able to jump over it in time. 

"Ow... that hurt," Amy moaned. 

"He's... really strong," gasped Rei. 

"Aw, come on," Sonic yelled. "Is that the best you can do?" 

Chaos seemed to ponder. Then, glowing red points appeared all over his body. And all of a sudden, he shot out spiky tentacles out of these points, into all directions. They had a very hard time to dodge them all. Big grabbed Cream and carried her away from the battle. Knuckles and Tails got hit and cried out. 

"That's enough," Rei yelled. "Mercury, everyone... attack him NOW!" 

"Sonic Wind!" "Thunder Arrow!" "Burning Mandala!" "Storming Heart!" "Shine Aqua Illusion!" 

After being shocked, burned, blasted by wind and bombarded by hearts, Ami's attack made the monster's body freeze solid. 

Knuckles smirked. "There's our chance! Sonic, Tails... if you would!" 

"Anytime, buddy!" Sonic shouted and rolled up into a ball. Tails did the same. 

Knuckles picked them up, concentrated his powers and surrounded the two with an aura of magical fire. He jumped high into the air. "Fire Dunk!" And the Sonic- and Tails-balls were being smacked hardly against the frozen form of Chaos. 

The ice cracked into billions of pieces that fell over the edge of the Egg Carrier's deck - while the Chaos Emeralds clattered down on the ground. 

Froggy came falling down on Big's head, shivering. 

Big smiled. "Froggy!" 

"No!" Eggman screamed. "That can't be happening! Chaos is unbeatable! How can this be? Alpha, where are you?" No response. "Alpha?" 

Amy smirked. "Looks like your little helper has abandoned you, egg-head." 

Suddenly, the ship began falling down faster then before. 

"Hey, the ship is losing altitude," Tails realized. 

"Oh no," Eggman yelled. "The reactor must have lost its powers. I'm outta here..." And he turned around his Eggmobile and flew away. 

"Eggman! Get back here!" And with a Homing Attack, Sonic grabbed onto the underside of the Eggmobile as it flew away. 

"Sonic," Tails shouted. Knuckles held him back. "I'm sure he'll do fine," he said. "But we should worry about ourselves. How are we gonna escape from here?" 

Suddenly, Usagi, Chibiusa, Diana, Luna and Artemis came running. 

Rei and Ami were excited. "Luna! Artemis! Sailor Moon, you saved them!" 

"Aw, it was nothing," Usagi said. 

Tails looked around. "Well, we have two planes, but everyone can only carry three persons... two, if you count Big. And we also have several guys here that can glide or fly." 

Ami shook her head. "You forgot something, bro... Eggman stole your emerald. So the Tornado II won't be able to fly." 

"Oh no," groaned her brother. "What now?" 

Rei thought about it. "You say it's being powered by a Chaos Emerald?" 

Tails nodded. Rei took Knuckles' bag and spilled its contents on the ground. 

"H-hey," Knuckles stuttered. "What are you planning to do?" 

"Don't worry," Rei said. "It's okay!" She put the emerald pieces together, and magically, they joined and became a bigger pieces. One by one, she put together the puzzle, until the whole Master Emerald was shimmering before them. 

"Knuckles, you are able to shrink it, are you?" she asked. Knuckles nodded. Rei gestured towards the Master Emerald. "Then do it!" 

Still not understanding, Knuckles did what Rei told him. "I still don't get your point... hey!" 

Rei snatched the emerald out of his hand. "Well, the plane is being powered by emerald energy, and normally, one Chaos Emerald would be enough, right? But the energy of the Master Emerald is far more powerful, so it should easily make the plane fly as well, right?" 

Tails bopped himself on the head. "Of course! Why didn't I think of this earlier?" 

Rei gave the emerald to him, and the fox attached it to the blue plane. 

"But be sure to give it back afterwards," Knuckles shouted. Tails smiled. "Perhaps." 

Knuckles snarled angrily. Amy laughed. "Relax, Knuckles! I think he just wanted to tease you." 

Ami looked around. "Well... Usagi, Chibiusa and Rei can ride in the Moon jet. Big and Tails should sit in the Tornado II... remember, Tails is the only one that knows how to fly it. Cream and Cheese can fly by themselves, so can I. Knuckles can glide and... the cats can ride along in the Moon Jet." 

"Sounds like a plan to me," Rei said. "All right, you heard her: Let's do it!" 

And while the Egg Carrier continued his crashing course towards the sea, they all managed to fly or glide away in time. 

---- 

Minako sighed as she was standing at the window of Makoto's apartment. Her tall rabbit friend walked up behind her. "Hey, what's wrong?" 

"I was just thinking about Artemis," the blonde bat murmured. "I hope he and the others are all right..." 

"Hey, cheer up," Makoto smiled. "They'll be fine. Remember, they are Sailor Senshi! And Sonic is with them as well. They'll be back shortly, trust me." 

Minako nodded. "Yeah, you're right... And I hope they found a way to save Artemis. I miss him..." 

----

Sonic wasn't quite able to hang on to Eggman's vessel for too long and soon, plummeted down into the jungle. Sonic curled his body up and therefore was able to land safely. 

"Ah, I hate Eggman," he grumbled. 

He looked around. He was in a clearing, surrounded by the high trees. In front of him, some old ruins towered over his head. The kinda looked like some sort of pyramid... like an ancient Inca temple, or something like that. 

Suddenly, he could see a dancing light appearing in front of him. It was dancing back and forth, then towards the entrance of the ruins, then back to him. 

"That light..." he murmured. "I think it wants to show me something." 

He decided to follow the ball of light. After losing Eggman, he really didn't have anything better to do, anyways. 

---- 

The light lead him down deeply into the lowest chamber of the ancient temple. It was a big, square room with some water basins in the corners. It was a little gloomy, so Sonic couldn't see too much. But then, the light rose up at the wall and showed him something. It was an old mural... 

It showed some kind of giant creature, as it attacked an ancient village. It's enormous, serpent-like head towered over the helpless people. It certainly looked like some demon or god of destruction. 

"God... of destruction..." Sonic murmured. "Wait a minute... could that mean..." 

But before he could think any more about it, the ball of light flew directly in his face and blinded him. 

---- 

When Sonic was able to see again, he was standing in a deep valley that normally, would have been beautiful... if it weren't for the burning forest up ahead! The flames flickered high above the trees and painted the whole scenery with an eery red. 

"What is this place?" Sonic wondered. "It somehow... looks familiar." 

He walked up to the building that was surrounded by the fire. 

Several motionless bodies were lying around. Several Chao, and also some echidnas in ancient garments. One of them, a young girl, just began stirring. 

Sonic ran up to her. "Hey, what happened here?" 

"I couldn't... stop them..." the girl moaned. "They came, and... and my father..." She looked around the shrine surrounded by fire. "I had no idea how bad this would turn out... I'm shocked!" 

Sonic took a look around. Wherever he was, this was a picture he would never forget. What kind of evil force would massacre all of these living beings, or set the forest aflame? 

And after wondering, he once again got surrounded by light... 

---- 

Sonic shook his head. He was back in the jungle, in front of the entrance to the ruins. "What was that all about?" he said to himself. "I don't think I'm dreaming here." 

But then, he remembered something. Just before the light surrounded him again, he could hear a voice, coming out of the burning forest. 

An angry roar, filled with pain and hate. 

----

Metal Sonic zoomed through the sky as he carried Hotaru back to the main base. "Don't worry, girl," he said. "The doctor told me not to harm you. I'll just take you away from those bad, bad Senshi." 

"They're NOT bad," Hotaru yells while struggling. "They're my friends! And you, put me down! Now!" 

Metal Sonic shakes his head. "Sorry, no can do! You know that I have to do what the doctor says." Hotaru is surprised to hear a tone of regret invading his voice. 

Suddenly, her eyes gleamed purple again, and in an eery voice, she yelled: "Let go of me NOW!" 

And with a purple blast of energy, Metal Sonic is being thrown down into the forest. 

Hotaru is floating down in front of him. On her head, a black star has appeared. "I'm... finally... free!" 

And when she spread her arms, her hair turned a deep black and flowed down her back. She also grew into an adult, and her clothes turned into a purple dress. Mistress 9 was now under full control. 

Metal Sonic just stared at the woman floating in front of him. "This power... what ARE you?" 

She smirked. "Fool! I am Mistress 9... the leader of the death-busters! And I will bring our master to the Earth so he can destroy the human race!" 

"I see..." the blue robot said. "And why did you possess Hotaru's body?" 

"Does it matter?" Mistress 9 asked. "You will be dead soon. So don't ask me questions if they are of no use for you." 

She raised her arms. "Prepare to be ripped apart!" 

But then, another voice shouted: "Chaos Scream!" 

Mistress 9 yelped as the purple energy ball hit her. "Who dares?" she shouted. 

From the top of a tree, a dark green hedgehog jumped down. "I am Pluto the Hedgehog... the Ultimate Life Form, First Version! I thought you were Sailor Saturn first, so I came here... But now I see you're just an evil entity that I have to destroy." 

"Stay out of that," Metal Sonic snapped. "This is my fight!" 

Pluto looked at him and smirked. "You really believe you can take her on by yourself? Don't be a fool! Can't you feel her power? But, as you're a robot, perhaps you can't feel it... Hell, you don't even have a soul." 

Metal Sonic growled at that. "I do have a soul. The soul of the Earth prince, Endymion! I just don't plan on letting him control my future anymore, so I chose this body!" 

"Enough of this," Mistress 9 shouted. Her long hair grew even more and lashed at the two. Pluto jumped over it, while Metal Sonic just curled up and spun his body around. Like a buzzsaw, he cut through the hair of the death-buster. 

Mistress 9 screamed in outrage. "My... my beautiful hair... YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!" 

"I don't think so," Pluto said. "Chaos Control!" 

At first, Mistress 9's body jerked... but then, she smiled. "Oh, nice trick! Too bad I exist out of time and space, so this attack has no effect on me." 

"Who are you anyway?" Pluto asked as she dodged another whip of hair. 

"I am the harbinger of the silence... and the servant of my almighty master that descends from outer space!" 

"Silence...?" Pluto muttered. "Outer Space...?" Then she gasped. "Your master... now I know who it is!" 

Her opponent smirked. "Oh, do you now? Well, too bad... because it's not going to help you!" And she attacked Pluto with a burst of evil energy. 

But Metal Sonic activated his back jets and pulled Pluto out of the way just in time, as he sped past her. 

"I don't know you, and I'm pretty sure we aren't allies," the robot grumbled. "But I think for this fight, we have to work together." 

Pluto nodded. "Yes, you're right... What are your connections to her anyway?" 

"She is actually the daughter of my master... and that being has possessed her. Somehow, I have to get her out of that body." 

"Well, I'll help you. Any ideas?" 

"I think so. Just keep her busy!" 

"Got it!" And they jumped away as Mistress 9 shot another burst of energy at them. "Stand still!" she shouted. 

Pluto smirked. "Chaos Spear!" And the yellow energy bolt hit the death-buster's chest. She screamed. 

Meanwhile, Metal Sonic had rolled his body up into a ball and bounced over her head. Behind her back, he uncurled and quickly grabbed her arms. Mistress 9 flailed around angrily. 

"Hotaru," Metal Sonic said in her ear. "Listen to me! Fight against that demon's control! Your father would turn me into scrap metal if he finds out that I let something happen to you, so don't disappoint me! Be strong!" 

Mistress 9 yelled and blasted the robot away from her. "How dare you..." she snarled. 

But in her mind, another battle was being fought... 

---- 

Hotaru screamed as the silence surrounded her like a prison. "No! Papa! Help me! Let me out of here!" 

"Be strong," a voice suddenly told her. She knew that voice... it was strong and proud. Hotaru relaxed. A strange symbol shone on her forehead. Suddenly, a translucent figure appeared before her. The girl looked just like her, but wore a Sailor fuku and carried a long polearm. 

"Who... who are you?" Hotaru asked. 

The girl smiled. "I am Sailor Saturn... your other self!" 

Hotaru blinked. "You're... me?" 

Saturn nodded. "Yes. Don't be afraid! The silence is not your enemy! Mistress 9 just uses its powers for evil deeds. But you can also use it to defend Earth. Become one with me, and we can get rid of her." 

Hotaru thought about it, then nodded. She held out her hand and touched the one of Saturn... 

...and she appeared in a dark room, in front of Mistress 9. She looked down at herself... she now was wearing Saturn's clothes and carried her weapon. 

"Who are you?" Mistress 9 shouted. "How dare you come here?" 

Hotaru smiled. "I am Sailor Saturn... and you are not welcome here!" 

Mistress 9 just shot out a blast of energy. Saturn closed her eyes. "Silence Wall!" A shimmering shield surrounded her body and protected her. 

"Impossible," her enemy gasped. "What are you? No one should be able to deflect my powers like this..." 

Saturn raised her weapon... the Silence Glaive. "I am the Senshi of Silence... and your days are over!" She cut down the weapon forcefully. 

"SILENCE GLAIVE SURPRISE!" 

Mistress 9 screamed as Saturn's powers flowed through her body. She let out a final gasp... and then, she was gone. 

---- 

When Pluto was just ready to attack her opponent once more, Mistress 9 let out a gasp. The black star on her forehead shattered, and underneath, the symbol of Saturn appeared. With a scream of pain, the death-buster's form turned into a dissolving black cloud, revealing the form of Sailor Saturn underneath. 

Saturn smiled at Pluto and Metal Sonic. "Thank you for your help." 

Pluto gasped as she saw the girl's fuku. "You're... Sailor Saturn!" 

Saturn smiled and nodded. Looking at Metal Sonic, she said. "If you excuse me, I'd like to go to my friends now." 

Metal Sonic backed off nervously. "Um... sure. Be my guest!" 

"Thank you!" And Saturn began walking. Turning back to Pluto, she asked: "You're coming, too?" 

Pluto gulped. "Um... sure, why not?" 

And together, they left the confused form of Metal Sonic behind. Finally, he dropped on his knees and punched the ground in frustration. "Damn! The doctor won't be happy to hear this..." 


	13. Tikal's final revelation

Dr. Eggman was flying with his Eggmobile through the jungle. He was desperately searching for his little daughter. What Metal Sonic told him about her being a Senshi was alarming, true, but just leaving her father like this? By now, Eggman thought it wouldn't matter to him if she was a Senshi... if she just would come back to him!

He got distracted from his sorrow when suddenly, he saw something moving between the trees. Something blue and watery... 

"Chaos?" 

* * *

A few days have passed, and everything seemed to have normalized. Usagi and her friends were going to school again, Tails was working on his new invention, Knuckles and Rei were guarding the Master Emerald and Sonic was taking a nap somewhere. 

Chibiusa, who had just arrived in this time, was once again staying with the Tsukino family, together with Diana. Usagi's Mom was once again believing she was Usagi's 'cousin'. 

For some reason, neither Eggman or one of his robots has bothered them again. Metal Sonic, who the Senshi previously had met almost every week, didn't show up anymore. And no one knew what happened to Hotaru... but Tails sadly suspected that Eggman had her grounded. 

Rouge forgave Minako for abandoning her. Her task of finding the Chaos Emeralds turned out to have no success, as she just couldn't find a single trace of the emeralds. GUN troops were still patrolling the streets in search of the thief, though. 

Amy Rose and Chibiusa became good friends, and so Amy became another regular guest at the Tsukino household. After a few visits, Ikuko began adoring the energetic, female hedgehog who looked so much like her 'niece'. 

Big and Froggy had returned to the jungle, where they continued living their lazy ways of fishing, eating and sleeping. Cream, after coming home, had asked her mother to adopt a few more Chao, and her mother Vanilla simply couldn't say no to her sweet little daughter. So they went to the agency of homeless Chao and promised the manager to take good care of the little guys. Cream was especially fond of a chocolate brown Chao she called Chocola. He and Cheese quickly became something similar to brothers. 

Rei and Knuckles agreed to take turns watching over the Master Emerald. Also, Rei promised never to be late again. And to her birthday, her grandfather bought her a brand-new cell phone, so she could always stay in touch with him. 

Almost one week after their glorious return from the Egg Carrier, Knuckles was once again sitting in front of the Master Emerald shrine, meditating. Behind him lay the Chaos Emeralds he had brought back with him. 

Rei and Grandfather Hino were coming out of their hut. "Knuckles, we're leaving for town. We have some shopping to do," Rei said. 

Knuckles nodded. "All right! I got it under control. See you later."

And after the other echidnas had left, he let out a deep breath. Since their adventure, he had been thinking of the visions he and Rei had. He realized they were not the only ones, as Tails, Chibiusa and Sonic told him about their own visions. Tails also explained the others his time travel theory, while Sonic told them of the murals he had seen in the ruins. 

And that strange verse Tikal had said... he couldn't stop thinking about it. Why did they all have these visions? Was it a warning? A glimpse of the past? Or did they really travel through time, as Tails said? Chibiusa's time key, as well as the Time Stones, proved it: Time travel was possible. 

Knuckles was that deep in thought that he didn't realize a man stumbling closer to him. Only when that person collapsed, Knuckles recognized him. "Dr. Eggman?" Knuckles shouted. "What happened to you?" 

Eggman barely had the strength to speak. "This is terrible... Ch-Chaos is..." He didn't continue. 

"Is what?" Knuckles asked impatiently. He didn't notice the puddle of water approaching him from behind. 

* * *

After Rei and her grandfather returned home, they couldn't find a trace of Knuckles. "Strange," Rei murmured. "Normally, he takes his job as a guardian pretty serious. So where could he be?" 

"Over there," Hino shouted and pointed towards two bodies that were lying on the ground. 

They put down their shopping bags and hurried over to them. "Knuckles," Rei shouted. "And Eggman? What happened here?" 

Knuckles groaned and got up from the ground... "Rei... he took the Chaos Emeralds... and Chaos... he's still alive!" 

Rei gasped. Eggman angrily stood up and rubbed his head. "Aaaah, he's not gonna get away with this," he shouted. "I'll show him..." 

"Hey doctor, wait up..." Rei shouted, but the scientist already left.

"We have to be careful," Knuckles said. "Chaos is a fearsome beasts... and who knows what he's going to do with the emeralds' powers..." 

* * *

Professor Tomoe looked at the many heart crystals stored in various glass containers. "Very good, Tellu," he said. "Your idea of stealing the hearts using those plants of yours really was a stroke of genius." 

"Oh, Professor, you're making me blush," the green-haired witch giggled. "I'm just doing my job..." 

In a corner of the room, Mimete was standing and snarling. How dared that little bi... witch, making the Professor forget about her? She would have to come up with an even more ingenious plan than the little vegetable freak. 

Professor Tomoe held up the yellow Chaos Emerald. "Together with this pretty little thing, we will soon have enough energy to summon our great master to earth... and then, the loss of Mistress 9 just won't matter anymore!" He giggled. 

Just then, a surprised shout of "Ghaaaagh!" came out of the bathroom. They all turned around. Witch Viluy came stumbling out of the door. A strong jet of water came shooting out of the room. Viluy was completely drenched. 

"Professor, the wash basin, it... it simply exploded, and all that water came shooting out of the wall." 

Suddenly, a similar cry of "GYYAAAAAAHH!" came from the laboratory. Cyprine came running in, similar drenched as Viluy. "Oh god! A giant jet of water just destroyed the daimon eggs! And the room is being flooded, there's just no end to the water." 

Then they all had to step aside as water jets also came shooting out of the walls... exactly where the water pipes were situated. 

Professor Tomoe didn't find that amusing. "What's happening here?" he angrily shouted. "Who dares attacking the future rulers of the universe?" 

A thundering roar was the answer, as the water shooting out of the washroom suddenly took shape, and a monstrous face glared at them with green gleaming eyes... 

Tomoe and the witches couldn't help but shudder. That wasn't a daimon... This creature was more dangerous than anything they had ever seen before. 

The green eyes looked around the room, then got fixated on the yellow emerald in the professor's hand. Chaos snarled. 

And then the room turned into a chaotic vortex of water, bodies and magical attacks being shot by the witches. But it was to no avail... Chaos was pouring more and more water into the room, and, one after another, the almighty Witches 5 vanished under the flood. 

Professor Tomoe was the last one, sitting on a table, when the water had almost reached the ceiling. "I have failed..." he muttered, as it reached his chin. "Forgive me... Master Black Doom!" 

* * *

The people of Station Square weren't suspecting anything evil, as they just did their daily duties. Pedestrians were entering and exiting various shops, and cars were driving through the city. 

When suddenly, a manhole cover was being catapulted into the air, as a massive burst of water shot up from the sewer. Another jet of water shot up from another manhole, then another, and another, and another. Finally, cracks appeared in the street, as the water was pressing against the underside of the streets with a powerful force. 

In every household, the wash basins, bath tubs, washing machines and similar devices exploded, as the water shot out of the water pipes. The massive floods poured out of the windows, creating at least dozens of enormous waterfalls flowing down onto the streets. And slowly, the water coming from above and below turned the whole town into an ocean of destruction. 

After half an hour or so, everything seemed to have calmed down a little... only that the city now was resembling a nightmarish version of Venice. But suddenly, the windows of the biggest skyscraper in town exploded, as another massive burst of water shot out of the building. But instead of flowing down like before, the water surrounded the building's top like a big bubble. And slowly... it began forming itself into a new, monstrous form... 

And when the transformation was complete, the monster's head was resembling some sort of giant sea serpent, with a large mouth and extremely long and powerful jaws. The monster opened its slitted, green-yellow eyes and let out a deafening roar. 

Perfect Chaos was reborn... 

* * *

Alpha was chuckling to herself as she jumped from roof to roof. "Well, I gotta say... this Chaos sure knows how to spread chaos. Now, perhaps that makes it easier for me to find some yummy heart crystals." She giggled while standing on the top of City Hall. "They surely won't escape that easily now. I knew it was a better idea to take sides with Chaos, not with Eggman. I mean, without my help, he still wouldn't have known where the last emerald was." 

Alpha closed her eyes and sniffed. Then she smiled. "That smell... it's the smell of a pure heart... a smell I know well!" And she grinned and jumped over the flooded plaza. 

* * *

"C'mon, Mom, I got you!" Usagi pulled with all her might and helped her mother climb out of her room's window, and up on the roof. Shingo, Chibiusa, Luna and Diana were crouching behind them. 

Ikuko moaned as she sat down. "Good thing that your father isn't in town this week... he would have had a crying fit if he would only think about the repair bill..." 

Shingo wrapped his black-white tail around himself and shivered. "What are we gonna do, Mom? We are safe for now, but we still are trapped on the roof." 

Luna looked up at Usagi in worry. The blonde hedgehog sighed and looked over to the building where Chaos' monstrous face was sticking out. 

'I somehow have to turn into Sailor Moon to save them all,' she thought. 'But how? Mom and Shingo will see it.' 

Suddenly, a cackling laughter came from above. On the neighbor house, the menacing form of Alpha was standing. "Looky-look, what have we here? Some yummy hearts!" She licked her lips. "And the yummiest of them all..." She glared at Chibiusa. 

Chibiusa backed off nervously, when the daimon got ready to jump. 

Ikuko and Shingo cowered in fear. "Oh no," the skunk-boy mumbled. "It's gonna kill us, it's gonna kill us..." 

Usagi stood up. "Usagi, what are you doing?" her mother shouted. But her daughter didn't listen. 

'It doesn't matter if they know of my identity. It's not like Mom would stop me from saving the city, right? And I have to save them...' 

She raised her locket. "Moon Cosmic Power, Make Up!" 

And her mother and brother could only stare as she twirled through the air, glowing ribbons and all. 

Sailor Moon raised her Moon Rod. "Stop right there, daimon! I won't let you take the heart from those I love! In the name of the moon, I'm gonna kick your butt!" 

Ikuko gaped. "Usagi...?" She couldn't believe it. Her daughter was the sailor suited Senshi that always saved the day? 

Alpha grinned. "Wonderful! You've beaten me before, but... take a look around! This time, you're completely alone!" 

"That's not true!" Chibiusa stood up. "She has me!" And she raised her locket as well. 

"Moon Prism Power! Make Up!" 

And she turned into Sailor Chibimoon. 

"What?" Shingo yelled. "You TOO?" 

His 'cousin' grinned. "Well, gotta go! Have to save you from that bad, bad monster!" 

Usagi giggled while her brother fumed. It seemed to bother him greatly to let himself being saved by his little cousin. 

"So there's two of you," Alpha huffed. "No big deal! I can take care of you!" 

"Don't be too sure about that," Chibiusa shouted. "I may be small, but I'm always ready to fight for my friends and family." 

"Go get him, Chibimoon," Diana yelled. Ikuko looked like she was ready to faint. 

Chibimoon raised her cat-shaped ball. "Luna-P!" 

And it transformed into a BIG squirt gun. 

Alpha sweat-dropped. "What... is that?" 

Chibiusa smirked. "That is the new Super Soaker 2006 XXXL, Luna-P edition. It can shoot out the strongest jet of water ever seen with a squirt gun." 

"Gaaah," Usagi screamed. "Surreptitious advertising alert!!" 

Alpha snickered. Then she laughed loudly. "Bwahahahahah! The little squirt tries to defeat me with a squirt gun. Hahahahaha! Oh, put that toy away, little girl, or I'll laugh myself to death..." 

Chibiusa grinned. "Laugh while you can!" And she pulled the trigger.

And as Alpha was hit by the powerful jet of water, she hit the wall of the next house with such a force, that several cracks were appearing around her twitching form. 

"Good work," Luna shouted. "Now finish her off, Sailor Moon!"

Sailor Moon nodded and raised her rod. 

"Moon... Spiral... Heart... ATTACK!" 

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Alpha screamed as she was being hit by the attack. "Not AGAIN!!" 

And as she got obliterated, the bent shape of a green robot could be seen for a moment, before it fell down into the water. 

But, just for a moment, Usagi could have sworn that she saw a cloud of some sparkling lights floating away... 

"Good job," Luna cheered. 

Ikuko looked down at the black feline. "You better have a good explanation for this, or I fear I'll have to send you to the vet..."

"EEEP!" Luna's fur bristled after hearing that. Diana giggled. Poor Mom... 

* * *

In a dark clearing, three persons were standing. A human, an echidna and a hedgehog. All female. 

"Well, here she is," Pluto said in an impatient voice. "Now, hurry up with your story!" 

Tikal nodded. "All right... you did a good job and you deserve to know." She turned to face Hotaru. "Sailor Saturn... are you willing to help the Senshi fight the forces of evil?" 

Saturn nodded. "Definitely! But don't expect me to fight my own father, okay?" 

Tikal smiled. "No, of course not! The threat you are going to face is more dangerous than all of your father's robot troops can ever be."

Saturn gasped. "That powerful?" Tikal nodded. "But, it's still time until that evil force appears. But you have to train your powers, so you are ready when the time comes." 

"I'm going to do my best," Saturn said with determination. 

Tikal nodded. "Now, Pluto... it's time you know about your own powers." 

"What about my powers?" Pluto asked. "I know them. I got them from the Chaos Emeralds, and Professor Gerald created me in a way so I could absorb their powers. That's why I can use Chaos Control without carrying an emerald." 

"But that's not the whole story," Tikal said. She smiled. "Do you remember something called 'Crystal Tokyo'?" 

Pluto frowned. She was pretty sure she hadn't heard that word in all of the 50 years of her life. Now, why did that word sound so familiar? 

"Let me explain..." Tikal started. "50 years and a few weeks ago... you didn't even exist in this world." 

"I know," Pluto said. "Professor Gerald created me, after all." 

"No, I mean, you existed, but not in this world or this timeline... You see, originally, the Senshi wouldn't even exist in this world." 

"Now you talk nonsense," Pluto murmured. 

Tikal shook her head. "No, Pluto! It's the truth! This universe has been merged with another one. In the universe the Senshi originally came from, they were humans. You all were humans, because humanoid animals didn't exist there. And you... didn't you realize just why the Professor named you 'Pluto'?" 

"I guess because he likes that tiny rock of a planet?" Pluto huffed. "How am I supposed to know?" 

"It was, because in your previous life... you have been Sailor Pluto, the guardian of time!" 

"No no NO!!" Pluto pressed her hands on her ears. "It's not true, it's not true..."

Tikal smiled sadly. "But it is. I had to put you into this role myself, as you were about to let something terrible happen... Setsuna!" 

Pluto gasped and opened her eyes wide. Within a nanosecond, her brain was being filled with images, with memories from a previous life. It was an experience one person rarely went through without going insane. Only Pluto's strong will and her abilities prevented her from having a mental breakdown. 

"I'm... I'm..." She panted heavily and leaned against a tree. Then, she turned around to face Tikal. "You... You're..." 

Tikal looked at her. "Now do you see, Pluto? Crystal Tokyo... it would mean the death of billions of people. And before you say it, yes, it would be possible to make an Utopia without everyone having to die. But it simply wouldn't be THE Crystal Tokyo you're yearning for. It would be a paradise where EVERYONE would be alive and happy. And that is something even harder to achieve then just putting a few survivors under the rule of a queen." 

Pluto glared at the echidna girl. "You... practically STOLE my life from me!" 

Tikal looked down. "I'm sorry, Setsuna... I'm really, really sorry about that. But... it was the only way. Do you remember how we first met? You simply wouldn't listen to reason. And... it was not my choice alone. Someone... applied me to merge the two universes. You know, the threat of the Great Freeze still is there, but now... when the heroes of the two universe work together, they can prevent it. And afterwards, Sailor Moon can try her best to work on a world, where everyone is happy." 

"How is she going to do that?" Pluto snarled. "Mamoru... isn't even on our side anymore... Is that also a part of your plan? Turning him into a vicious killing machine?" 

Tikal sighed. "It's not entirely in my power to determine what role everyone is getting in the new world. I had to use most of my powers when I concentrated on you. The corruption of Mamoru... is something I'll never forgive myself for. But, you know..." She smiled. "All hope is not lost! Deep inside that metal shell, Mamoru still exists, together with his love for Usagi. He just burrowed it under a thick coat of anger, sorrow and denial. You must have felt something when you fought alongside him that night, did you?" 

Pluto took a deep breath. "Okay... I guess it's too late to turn things back the way they were, right?" 

"That's true." 

"And there's still a way to save everyone... Mamoru, the planet, the people... right?" 

"Yes, definitely!" 

"Okay!" Pluto stared at Tikal with determination. "I'll help you on your stupid quest. But remember one thing: I may have been Setsuna Meioh, once upon a time... But now, I am only Pluto the Hedgehog, the world's Ultimate Life Form, First Version! And I will never be anything else again? Got it?" 

Tikal nodded. "I understand." 

"Good. Now, what should we do?" 

"First, we have to return to Station Square... we have to save a lost soul that is about to do something awful. Saturn, even if this is not the evil you were destined to fight, would you help us?" 

Hotaru nodded. "Sure." 

"Then let's hurry, there's not much time left." And Tikal transformed back into a ball of light and led the two girls out of the forest. 

* * *

Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy were standing on a broken part of the highway that rose out of the waters. Together, they were watching the monster that watched over the destruction. 

"If I didn't see it with my own eyes..." Sonic muttered. "That monster is a real menace!" 

Amy shivered. "How are we gonna defeat something THAT big?" 

Suddenly, five figures were landing next to them. They were Sailor Moon and the Sailor Senshi. 

"Hey there," Moon greeted her friends. "Good to see you're all right!" 

"Well it had been a close call," Tails explained. "But we made it." 

Amy looked around. "Where's Chibiusa? Isn't she coming as well?"

Moon smiled. "She stayed back to protect my family. But I really wonder what we can do against a monster that big." 

Mars nodded. "Even the Makaiju wasn't THAT big. And if you consider what it can do with its powers..." 

Then, Venus pointed to a building next to the one Chaos was sticking out. "Look there!" Two figures had appeared, a cheetah wielding a curved sword and a dolphin carrying an elegant mirror. 

"Neptune and Uranus," Mercury murmured. "What are they doing?" 

* * *

"That's it," Uranus said. "If we finish this, our job will be done, and we can concentrate on protecting the princess." 

"Yes," Neptune nodded. "So let's do our best!" She raised her mirror. 

Chaos had already seen the two Senshi and separated his long, snake-like water body from the building. 

Neptune shouted: "Submarine Reflection!" The beam of light shout out of the mirror and hit Chaos directly in his eye. The water demon screamed in pain, then turned around to face the two intruders. 

Uranus jumped up, bounced off the remains of some building and raised her sword. "Space Sword Blaster!" 

But sadly, the energy wave cut through Chaos' body as it was only water... 

Snarling, Uranus twisted her body around. She planned to bounce off Chaos' snout to jump back to Neptune. 

But she broke through the creature's skin like through the surface of a lake... and instantly sank down. 

Neptune gasped. "She's gonna drown!" And the elegant dolphin girl jumped into the water, twisting her body as she swum rapidly towards Chaos' body. THIS is what her body was for. Swimming was her specialty, as she was not only a dolphin, but the Senshi of the oceans. 

She entered the watery body of Perfect Chaos from below, swimming upwards to grab her partner. Then, with a mighty flip of her tail fin, she catapulted the two of them out of Chaos' body. 

She put down Uranus down on the roof. The cheetah coughed and spit out some water. 

"Are you all right?" the dolphin asked worriedly. Uranus nodded. "Well, we did our part. Now it's their turn." 

And on the other side of Chaos, on another building, two other Senshi appeared. One was a human girl, carrying a long weapon, the Silence Glaive. The other one was a dark green hedgehog girl, carrying a key-like staff that was tipped with a shimmering, red ball... the Garnet Orb. 

The third talisman. 

Uranus smiled. "When she appeared at our place and revealed herself to be the final talisman's holder, I simply couldn't believe my ears."

Neptune hugged her. "Well, I think that has to do something with the fact that she kicked your butt once." 

Saturn raised her glaive. "Silence Glaive Surprise!" 

Pluto spun around her staff. "Chaos Scream!" Fired by the Garnet Rod, the magical sphere was even more powerful than before. 

Uranus and Neptune were ready for round two, and so the four Outer Senshi kept Chaos busy, while Tikal was heading for the only person that was able to truly defeat it. 

* * *

After seeing Neptune using her Submarine Reflection, Usagi shook her head. "They won't be able to defeat him. We have to go and help them."

Suddenly, a ball of light descended from above. Rei gasped. "It's you... the one who had sent us back in time, right? Tikal..." 

The light turned into the orange-furred echidna girl. 

"My heart has always been inside the Master Emerald, along with Chaos'," Tikal explained. "Right after the emerald's destruction, a powerful being recruited me for an important job, and I travelled between time and space... But afterwards, I returned, and provided all of you with these informations... by sending you back to the past... to MY past!" 

"But why?" Knuckles asked. "Is it because of that strange verse? Does it contain the answer to all our problems?" 

"You're right," Tikal nodded. "The Servers are the seven Chaos. Chaos is Power. Power enriched by the heart. The Controller is the one that unifies the Chaos! It simply means one thing. Look!" 

They turned around to see the two new Senshi. 

"Hotaru?" murmured Tails, while Sonic murmured: "Pluto..." 

After their combined attack, the Chaos Emeralds were being ejected out of Chaos' body. He didn't turn back, but the emeralds floated down on the platform Sonic and the others were standing on. 

But the emeralds now were black and without any power. 

"See?" Tikal said. "Chaos has absorbed the emerald's powers. But, you can fill them with a new power, the power of your love and friendship. And you are the only one that can do it, Sonic... you are the guardian of the Chaos Emeralds, just as the echidnas are the guardians of the Master Emerald." 

"M-me?" Sonic stuttered. 

"That must be it," Tails excitedly said. "Remember all those times we found the Chaos Emeralds before, Sonic: You were the one that could feel them, and you were the only one that used them to turn into a super form. Remember how you defeated Eggman when he stole the Master Emerald." 

"As much as I hate to admit it," Knuckles added. "Tails is right. You are the only one that can do this." 

"Use the powers of your feelings towards your friends," Tikal said. "And you can transform into your super form." 

"And I can take that beast apart," Sonic nodded. "I got it!"

"No, you mustn't harm him," Tikal explained. "He is not evil. He is just filled with anger and sorrow. Let me show you what happened to him..." And a light surrounded the blue hedgehog... 

* * *

Sonic looked around. He was once again in the shrine valley, and the woods were burning. "Hey, there's no time for this now," he shouted. "Chaos will destroy the city." 

"Don't worry," Tikal's voice echoed to his ears. "When you return, no time will have passed. Look at what happened..." 

Sonic approached the shrine. A large number of echidna soldiers was standing in front of the shrine, lead by their chief, Tikal's father.

Tikal was standing in front of them, arms spread. "Father, please don't!" 

Her father was angry. "Tikal, we need those emeralds for our survival. It's power for the people! And they're your people, too!"

"Greed is our enemy," Tikal exclaimed. 

"I won't listen to the words of a child," the chief snapped. "Out of the way!" 

"I won't obey!" 

"Bah! Get ready, men... charge!" 

The echidnas were running towards the shrine, not caring about the young girl or the Chao that were in the way. 

"Father!"

Pushed aside by the soldiers, Tikal fell to the ground. The Chao were just batted away by the echidnas' strong fists. 

Tikal just watched them as they approached the shrine. But suddenly, it's guardian rose out of the water basin... it was Chaos, in his original form! 

"Aaaaah, it's a monster," one of the echidnas yelled. 

And Chaos let out a loud scream. 

Sonic couldn't see what happened next, because he closed his eyes. But the screams and sounds of death were showing him exactly what was happening. 

Then, it was over. Sonic looked up. The dead bodies of the echidnas were lying along with the unconscious bodies of the Chao. Chaos was gone. But Sonic could hear his roar coming from the village. 

Tikal was standing in front of the Master Emerald. She sobbed. "The controller is the one that unifies the chaos... please, if you can do anything... please, stop this!" 

And the Master Emerald began shining in a green light. 

And then, Sonic disappeared. 


	14. Open your Heart

Sonic appeared back in the flooded Station Square, next to his friends. In their eyes, it looked as if he had vanished only for a few seconds.

"You see, Sonic," Tikal told him. "The best way would not be to kill Chaos, or just to trap him back in the Master Emerald... you should be able to neutralize his anger and his powers by using the positive powers of the emeralds... for you see, Chaos only used their negative powers."

"She's right," Sailor Moon added. "I would have to use the Silver Crystal and all my strength to banish Chaos, but only the power of the Chaos Emeralds can turn him back into his old self."

"You can do it, Sonic," Amy cheered.

And from all over the surrounding buildings, Sonic could hear the shouts of the people who had climbed there to avoid Chaos' flood.

"Yeah, Sonic! Sonic! Sonic! Sonic! Sonic!"

Sonic closed his eyes and concentrated on positive feelings... on the feelings he had for his friends... and for Amy...

* * *

In the Mystic Ruins, Big raised his head. He felt like something important happened, but he really couldn't say what it was. "I hope our friends are all okay," he told his green little buddy, who sat next to him.

* * *

Cream looked out of the window. As the mansion of her parents lay on a hill, the flood hadn't reached it. She looked down at the waters that surrounded Station Square's buildings and sighed.

Her Chao friends had gathered around her. Cheese and Chocola were sitting on her shoulders. "I hope everything will be all right," she said to her friends.

Cheese and Chocola hugged her, while the other Chao looked down to town. They looked at each other and nodded. Then, they all flew downwards, out of the window.

"Hey, wait a minute! Where are you going?" Cream was worried. What was wrong with her friends?

* * *

The Chaotix managed to save her valuable instruments from the flood. Together, they stood on the roof of their apartment building.

"So that's it," Vector said. "Sonic is gonna be the hero again."

"Looks like it," Espio commented.

"Wanna cheer him on a little?" Charmy suggested.

A broad smile split Vector's muzzle. "You know, sometimes, you sure have good ideas, little buddy!"

Espio just nodded and grabbed his guitar. Charmy his drums. And Vector the mike.

And together, they started to sing their newest song, which Vector had named:

Open Your Heart!

* * *

Sonic slowly rose up into the air. The Chaos Emeralds regained their colors and powers. They began spinning around him, faster and faster.

The Senshi surrounded him. "Let's lend him our powers, too," Sailor Moon said. "Moon Power!"

"Mercury Power!"

"Mars Power!"

"Jupiter Power!"

"Venus Power!"

Amy stared at her only love. "Sonic, I'm always with you..."

And with a bright flash of light, Sonic transformed into Super Sonic. His quills turned long and his fur a shining gold. A shimmering field of energy surrounded his body while the power of chaos ran through his veins.

"Time to finish this," he shouted and dashed forward, hovering directly over the water and causing a big fountain of water that trailed behind him.

* * *

Two massive whirlwinds caused by the monster caused the Outer Senshi to fall off their buildings. Neptune quickly grabbed Uranus and held her as they fell into the water. Saturn created a shimmering shield around her and Pluto, which caused them to hover slightly above the water level.

Uranus and Neptune surfaced next to some rubble that rose out of the water. Saturn and Pluto landed next to them.

"Well, that was all we could do for now," Pluto sighed. "Now it's up to Sonic!"

And Perfect Chaos' head jerked around as he saw the approaching form of the golden hedgehog. He roared and sent out several bursts of energy.

Super Sonic nimbly dodged the projectiles and sped up. A blue aura began forming around his body.

Chaos was getting furious and decided to use his most powerful weapon: A broad beam of blue-white energy, shooting directly out of his mouth.

The beam wandered over the water surface and approached Sonic. But he dashed to the right and continued heading towards his opponent.

He burst through the barrier of Perfect Chaos' body and used his momentum to spin around and at the same time, propelling his body upward. With a final burst of speed, he rocketed his body through Chaos' gel-like brain, and out of the beast's muzzle.

Perfect Chaos screamed as his head was breaking apart in a shower of water. His body collapsed as it merged with the water that surrounded him.

"Did I get him?" Sonic shouted while looking around. "This must have neutralized at least a big part of his negative powers."

But then, the giant sea serpent rose once again out of the waters, far away from Sonic's current position. The golden hedgehog sighed. "Guess I have to go one last time..." And he launched his body forward.

This time, Chaos' didn't want to risk anything. He send a barrage of energy projectiles, whirlwinds and beams at Super Sonic, while the hero approached him.

Sonic concentrated. He jumped over one energy blast, got launched into the air by a whirlwind, grabbed onto a flagpole that jutted out from one building, spun his body around several times, and let go just as a deadly beam ripped through the building. And head-first, he was being shot directly at the monster's brain. He once again concentrated on his positive feelings towards his friends.

And when he shot through Chaos' head, he cried: "End of the line for YOU!"

* * *

Everything was silent. The powers of the Chaos Emeralds had consumed all the rings Sonic had collected previously, so he dropped down on some rubble.

In front of him, something rose out of the water. It was Chaos... in his Zero form. The creature pulled himself out of the water and knelt down before Sonic.

"So, you got enough, eh?" Sonic smirked. "I hope you'll be good now!"

Suddenly, several light-blue shapes came fluttering through the air. The Chao were excitedly chattering in their own language, as they circled around Chaos' body.

Cream landed next to Sonic, together with her two friends Chocola and Cheese. "Hello, Mr. Sonic," she smiled. She looked at Chaos and her friends. "Ooooh, I get it! Those must be the Chao he protected when he was the guardian of the shrine."

Indeed, Chao had a very long life span, longer than most of the other creatures living on Earth. And they all recognized their old friend, their protector.

Chaos looked at them with wide eyes. He had believed them to be dead when the echidna soldiers had punched them away.

"That's right," a female voice said. "These are the Chao you were protecting." Tikal floated down next to them. "They survived for generations and lived peacefully alongside the humans. And they want you to become friends with the humans as well."

Chaos looked down at the ground. He looked like he was in shame. He made a gurgling sound. The Chao came close to him and hugged his watery body.

Tikal turned around to face Sonic. She smiled. "He says he's sorry for what he did. And he promised never to interfere with human life again."

"So, what does this mean for us?" the blue hedgehog wanted to know.

Tikal looked up into the sky. "The fighting's over, harmony is restored and peace has returned... thank you so much!"

"Aw, it was nuthin'... so where are you going now?"

Tikal smiled at Chaos happily. Her liquid friend looked back at her. "We're going back to a special place... a valley full of happiness! And we are trying to start a new life there. The Master Emerald and its servers are in good hands... so we don't need to worry about them anymore."

She turned back into a ball of pink light. Chaos turned into a ball of blue light. "Goodbye, Sonic! We'll meet again! Take care of yourself and your friends!"

Sonic raised one of the seven jewels. "And of the emeralds?"

Tikal giggled. "Yes, and of the emeralds."

Slowly, the two gleaming lights floated up into the air. The Chao followed them while flying around in circles. They all vanished behind one big building.

Sonic sighed. "Well, that's that. I'm going to go back to my friends, Cream."

Cream smiled. "Shall I carry you there?"

"You?" Sonic asked in surprise. "All by yourself? Are you that strong?"

The little rabbit giggled. "Of course! I even managed to carry Mr. Big for a while... you know, the nice cat with his frog friend?"

Sonic was speechless. If she was able to carry THAT big guy, she really must be stronger than she looked.

"Okay then, just let get me the emeralds, then we can go... huh?" He scratched his head. "Now that's weird... three of the emeralds have vanished? Now where could they be?"

* * *

Some time later, in the GUN headquarters.

"Here you are, sir," Rouge smirked as she handed the commander the bag with the three emeralds. "I brought them back, as promised. Now, let's talk about my payment..."

Commander Bullet opened the bag and looked inside. "What? Only three of them? Why didn't you bring us all? And what about that thief?"

Rouge chuckled. "Why, you only told me to return the three that were stolen from your base. And you also didn't tell me about capturing the thief. Now are you going to pay me or not? It would be a shame to hear that GUN isn't able to keep a bargain... especially if the president hears about it... I think a chest with 6 sapphires was the agreed fee, right?"

The commander squinted his differently colored eyes, then he snarled at Rouge angrily, pulled a small chest out of his jacket and forcefully put it into the bat's awaiting hands. "Here! Take them! Now get out of my sight!"

Rouge counted the sapphires, put away the chest and nodded, while silently mumbling: "With pleasure..."

* * *

After the Senshi and Sonic's friends helped re-building the town, a ceremony was being held in front of City Hall. The mayor complemented the bravery of the heroes, especially that of the town's national hero, Sonic the Hedgehog. And while Sonic handed three of the Chaos Emeralds to the director of the town's largest bank, to keep them safe, the mayor told him to keep at least one of them, as a 'token of appreciation'. Sonic shrugged and nodded while accepting the yellow Chaos Emerald.

Sailor Saturn was standing with the other Senshi, when she saw someone standing on a nearby roof, watching her. Her heart made a small jump... it was her father. He watched her with sad eyes as she was standing there, together with the other 'heroes' of town.

After a while, he seemed to sigh, then he smiled at her. Letting out a sigh of relief herself, Hotaru nodded back at him. Dr. Robotnik turned around, climbed aboard his Eggmobile and flew away.

Next to Saturn, Pluto let out a sigh as well. "I don't believe he will ever change his ways, but... at least I think he is proud of your decision. While he doesn't really believe in helping others, he is proud that you are ready to fight for a better world... just not the world he has in mind."

Hotaru nodded. "What about you? Can you accept your new role in life?"

SAILOR Pluto looked down at her fuku and smirked. "I really don't think this suits me... but I'll wear it, if I have to. But sadly, I cannot stay."

Hotaru's face grew disappointed. "Why not?"

Pluto smiled at her. "I still have to find my brother. He's out there, somewhere, waiting for me... But don't worry: If you and the others need my help, I'll come running! I promise!"

Saturn hugged the older hedgehog. And one Chaos Control later, she was gone.

And when the mayor got ready to thank every single Senshi for their deeds personally, he frowned. "Where is Sailor Pluto?"

Saturn giggled. "I think she had something important to take care of."

* * *

Author's Note:

This was the first tale of Pluto's adventures, but there will be more. For now, the story will return to the Esper HQ, so please continue with 'Ranma's interdimensional team of heroes', chapter two.


	15. Omega Kitten

Author's Notes:

Please read 'Ranma's interdimensional team of heroes', Chapter 3, before starting with this chapter.

* * *

Kakeru Ozora looked through his telescope and smiled at the view. "See that, Pluto?" he asked the black hedgehog standing next to him. "That blue light up in the sky... it's a new comet! And I'm the one who discovered it!"

Pluto smiled. "Well, good for you... then you'll have the honor of naming it."

Kakeru looked at her. "I already came up with a good name," he murmured. "How does 'Princess Snow Kaguya' sound?"

Pluto grimaced. "Doesn't that strike you kinda... corny? How about something simple, such as... the White Comet?"

"Such a simple name is an insult to a celestial body as brilliant as that comet," Kakeru frowned. "No, no, 'Princess Snow Kaguya' is much better."

"Well, if you think so... when are you going to tell your colleagues about this discovery?"

Kakeru sighed as he sat down on his chair. "I already did."

"And what did they say?"

The young astronomer groaned and clutched his head. "They didn't believe me! They said I should rather study mythology instead of astronomy!"

"Aw, poor Kakeru!" Pluto said and gave him a reaffirming pat on his back. "Don't worry, we'll find a way to prove it to those fools that your comet exists."

"I certainly hope you are right..." Kakeru muttered.

* * *

At the same time, a serious snow storm was raging over Station Square.

Rouge the Bat shivered as she ran through the snow, wrapped in a thick mantle. "I must be insane, leaving my warm and cozy club at such temperatures..." the sneaky spy grumbled to herself. "But nooo, I had to listen to my orders and seek out the origin of the strange light they have seen falling down near the coast... wait a minute..."

She stopped when she saw something gleaming in the snow at her feet. "Now what is that?" she murmured and brushed the snow aside.

She smiled when she got a better look at the item in question. It was a gorgeous crystal, gleaming in various colors and looking almost like a colorful snow flake itself.

"How beautiful..." she muttered, entranced by the beauty of the crystal. "If that is the source of the light my superiors have seen... then I think I won't tell them about it. This cutie is way too enticing for me... I won't tell a single soul about it. No, this one belongs all to me!"

And she put the gleaming crystal into a bag she always carried with her, in case she would stumble over such a precious object.

She shivered when an icy breeze swept over her. "I really should get going now, before my wings start to freeze off..."

And as she hurried back home to her warm and comfortable club, she never realized how the glowing crystal was slowly draining away her energy...

* * *

Dr. 'Eggman' Robotnik stared at the electronic device lying in front of him in astonishment. "Wherever did you find this, Metal Sonic?" he demanded to know.

The robotic hedgehog sneered. "I managed to 'acquire' it during our last raid on a GUN outpost. You remember that post we attacked because we needed additional weapons for our robots?"

"Aaaaah, yes, I remember!" The doctor cackled gleefully. "Had I ever know that they were keeping this old diary in there, I would have paid them a visit much sooner..."

"A diary?" Metal Sonic would have frowned if he had a biological face. "That doesn't sound too impressive..."

"Oh, I assure you, it is impressive! It is the diary of Professor Gerald Robotnik, the most brilliant genius that had ever existed on Earth... and by the way, he's my grandfather!"

Metal Sonic rubbed his metal chin. "I... see. So, what are our next steps, doctor?"

"Make sure the new E-Series robot is ready," Eggman commanded. "I will take him along on my 'visit' to the island base that is mentioned in the diary."

"You mean E-123? Are you sure he is ready for such a mission yet?"

"Don't question me!" the doctor snapped. "Now go! Nothing will stop me now!"

"Only if your daughter and her new friends don't learn about this plan..." Metal Sonic muttered as he turned around to follow his master's orders.

But he made sure not to say it out loud. He didn't want to upset the good doctor more than necessary. After all, he didn't want to give him a heart attack...

...as appealing as the thought might be.

* * *

The pink hedgehog was running through the streets, searching for the one she was caring for...

"Diana! Diana, where are you?"

Chibiusa looked underneath all the parking cars, up into the treetops of the park, and into all side alleys.

An older, similar-looking female hedgehog with blonde quills came running up to her. "Well, did you find her?"

Chibiusa shook her head sadly. "I wonder where she went," she sighed. "Now I can understand the worries you went through when Luna disappeared..."

"Well, Luna always tends to get into all kinds of trouble, so I wasn't TOO worried..."

"I suggest you concentrate more on searching for my future daughter than to make stupid jokes about me," Luna scolded from above, when she and Artemis came jumping down from a window sill.

Artemis was frantic. "I can't believe you just lost her like that," he scolded the young, pink hedgehog. "What were you thinking?"

Chibiusa knew Artemis was just worried about Diana, so she didn't let herself being bothered by the harsh tone he was talking to her. "I'm sorry, Artemis..." she sighed. "Actually, we were just doing what we always did... I walked home from school and Diana walked next to me. Then one of the girls in my class called for me and we talked for a while. I know Diana didn't want to indicate that she was able to talk like we and the humans do, so she stayed silent... but when I looked for her, she was gone!"

"We always knew Station Square is a dangerous city," Artemis murmured. "We should have watched out for her... we are bad parents..."

"Now, Artemis, I'm sure Diana knows how to take care of herself. Maybe she just wanted to play with the local cats and got sidetracked. Or she lost count of time, you know how kittens can be..."

"We should look for her some more," Usagi said. "How about we look in the Casino District this time?"

Chibiusa sighed. "I'm starting to feel like Big, when he's searching for his frog friend..."

* * *

"Intruder alert! Intruder alert! Security Breach at Gate 3! Intruders have been located in the north quadrant and are moving in the direction of the underground base! All units prepare to engage: Basic emergency battle formations! Standard Battle Formations initiated! Locate and stop the intruders from reaching the security area! This is not a drill! I repeat, this is not a drill!"

All the while this voice was shouting out the warnings and instructions through the loud speakers that were scattered all around the underground base, two bulky frames were blasting their way through the security robots that were guarding the corridors and security chambers.

In the cockpit of a bulky machine with two powerful legs and an attached lock-on gun, an obese man with an enormous moustache laughed gleefully.

"Muahahahahahah! This is all too easy!"

The bulky, two-legged robot that was standing besides Dr. Eggman's walker fired his machine guns at the incoming guards.

"G.U.N. troops approaching! Enemy threat not over yet! Fire Fire!"

Eggman and his newest creation, the powerful E-Series robot E-123-Omega, breached through GUN's defenses as they slowly approached the center of the base.

"Let's see what my grandfather was working on," the doctor grinned. "A top secret military weapon... The military shut down the research because they feared it."

The robot lowered its arms. "Enemy mech units repelled! Area secure for now! Instructions?"

"We go down there and search for the military weapon of course, you idiot!" Eggman shouted. "And let's not dawdle... hurry up!"

Omega's optical sensors wandered around until the doctor was in their center. The robot's intelligence chip was far more developed than those of his precursors, allowing him to directly tap into the brain of the animal component within his core. Logic and cunning, added to his fire power, turned him a more formidable opponent than Gamma or Beta had ever been.

His developed intelligence also allowed him to have something all of the earlier robots of the E-series lacked: A conscience! And thus, he was capable of questioning his superior's ideals.

The good old doctor knew about this, still he never was afraid that Omega would turn against him. After all, he was his creator, and therefore Omega had to be thankful that he existed at all.

This logical flaw was still programmed into Omega's electronic brain when he replied: "Affirmative!"

Still, Eggman didn't notice how Omega was hesitating when he replied...

* * *

Finally, the scientist and his creation had breached the last defense of GUN in the base and reached what they had been looking for: The Underground Facility!

The Doctor's Egg Walker walked up to the control panel as Eggman looked down at it with glee. Then he looked into the pit that was behind it. A strange capsule was visible within.

"So this is the top secret weapon the military was afraid of?" he wondered. "It's a lot smaller than expected..." He shrugged and looked closer at the console.

"Enter user data..." he muttered. "Enter password..." He grinned and entered a few letters. "The password is... MA-RI-A! Maria!"

He reached into his pocket and retrieved a shining item which he held up into the air with glee.

"Good thing I was able to steal the white Chaos Emerald from that bank transport my robots attacked the other day... now all I have to do is to place it into this console and..."

Something happened when E-123, who was still standing besides the huge entrance door of the facility, saw the shining emerald with his optics.

He recalled some strange images from his host's brain... a young hedgehog girl with pink fur was clinging onto a shiny emerald, while a man in a hovering machine was demanding it... a bulky man... with a bushy mustache...

Omega froze. A man like... Dr. Eggman?

While Omega's inner circuits were trying to find an explanation for the weird streams of data that were flowing through them, Eggman put the Chaos Emerald into the console... and the whole machinery inside the pit came to life.

The capsule slowly moved out of the ground, while white steam was released. For a while, the doctor saw nothing but plumes of steam... but then, he saw a dark silhouette.

Those spines... was that... a hedgehog?

"What's that? Is that you, Sonic? Are you planning to foil my plans again?"

The black hedgehog with the red stripes running along his spines smirked at the doctor.

"Wait a minute!" Eggman blurted out. "You're not Sonic! This is impossible!"

"My name is Shadow," the hedgehog spoke up. "Since you were so kind to release me... my master... I will grant you one wish."

Suddenly, both of their heads turned around as they heard the clicking sound of Omega's guns.

"Dr. Eggman!" he said in his mechanical voice. "Put down the Chaos Emerald... and surrender yourself to me!"

"What... what is this defiance?" Eggman shouted in outrage. "You heap of scrap metal! I created you! Now put down your weapons, or you'll regret it!"

But somewhere, deep inside Omega's core, a tiny voice of reason shouted against its prison. She was way too small and weak to break free from this prison...

But... if she could control the shell she was trapped in, she would use it to stop Eggman from whatever he was planning to do this time. And she would begin by taking the Chaos Emerald from him!

"This is your second warning, Eggman!" Omega said. "Hand over the Chaos Emerald and step out of your combat vehicle!"

"You traitor!" the doctor shouted. "I knew I shouldn't have given you a free will..."

But Shadow only smirked. His strangely-shaped shoes gave off a burst of energy as he propelled himself up into the air... and landed next to the surprised scientist.

"Behold the true power I possess!" he said coldly as he faced the defiant robot. His steely glare was unnerving for all living beings, and although E-123-Omega had no nerves, his calculations showed him that this hedgehog was far more powerful than he looked.

Deep inside her robotic shell, Diana gulped. Her tiny kitten body was unable to move, but she realized that she was in a bad situation.

'Oh Mom... I wish you were here... where are you?'

* * *

Luna was walking along the pavement, looking everywhere for her daughter. "Diana!" she shouted. "Diana, where are you?"

She was so distracted by her search that she didn't notice the approaching truck when she stepped onto the street.

She gasped when she heard the loud honk of the incoming vehicle, but she was far too stunned to move away.

In the last instant, a tall man dove for the small cat, rolled over the ground and pulled her to safety.

The truck dangerously swerved to the right, but the driver was able to step on the brakes in time.

Luna let out a sigh of relief. She was still alive, and no one got hurt. She then looked up into the face of her savior.

The handsome, blonde man smiled down at her. "I hope you're not too scared, little kitty," he said as he picked her up from the ground.

* * *

Omega aimed his arm cannons at the black hedgehog.

"Eggman must be eliminated!" he said in his mechanic voice. "Interfere and you'll have to be eliminated as well!"

Shadow showed him a smirk. "Stubborn machine..." he whispered.

He then jumped up into the air, curled up into a ball and dove straight for the rebellious robot.

'I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die!' Diana thought frantically inside the core of the robot.

But the programmed battle routines made reacting to that attack surprisingly easy.

Shadow had barely time to dodge the incoming bullets and made an acrobatic roll towards the console, where he grabbed the Chaos Emerald.

"Hey, that's mine!" the doctor protested.

Shadow ignored him. He held the shiny jewel up into the air and yelled:

"CHAOS CONTROL!"

As he started running, the powers of the emerald were increasing his velocity to near-lightning-speed, and everything around him seemed to move in slow motion.

Shadow had no trouble at all to reach E-123-Omega... and gave him a swift kick to his metal torso, which made him slide back into the heavy, metal door, where he collapsed.

Sparks were coming out of the robot's limbs as he tried to stand up again. His head rotated around aimlessly as he tried to take aim again. "Must... eradicate... all enemies..."

Diana knew it was futile, but she tried with all her strength to make the robot she was now controlling stand up again. But it was to no avail.

Eggman climbed out of his Egg Walker and walked over to the struggling robot.

"Insolent machine!" he grumbled and pressed a switch near Omega's shoulder. The red lights that were his eyes went dark, and his whole body went limp.

And Diana felt as if she was falling into a deep sleep...

"I have to lock this traitor away as soon as I get back to the base," the doctor muttered before turning around to face Shadow.

He was truly intrigued by that hedgehog's abilities. That black hedgehog which looked so much like Sonic's dark twin...

"The way you took care of Omega was spectacular!" he grinned. "So, Shadow... you are the top secret weapon the military was afraid of. But what did you mean when you said you will grant me a wish?"

Shadow turned his back to the doctor and looked over his shoulder. "Bring more Chaos Emeralds!" he said calmly before he started to walk away.

"Shadow, wait..."

Shadow gave Eggman a final sneer. "I'll be waiting for you in the central control room... of the Space Colony ARK!"

And then he left.

Dr. Eggman looked after him in astonishment. "ARK?"

* * *

Rouge coughed as she opened the door to her private chamber within her very own club. "I'm home..."

"Rouge!" Minako said in surprise as she turned around. "Where have you been, it's getting late! I was worried, you know?"

Rouge gave the young bat an amused chuckle. "By now you must know that a spy's work is never finished... and that a good thief will work day and night... especially in the night!"

"Well, as long as you're back... did you find something?"

Rouge put her bag on the table and started to open the zipper. "I found this near the sea and..." She wanted to say more, but a sudden fit of coughs made her bend over.

"Rouge, are you all right?" the blonde bat asked with worry as she came over to her mentor.

But Rouge waved her off. "I'm fine," she muttered. "Just a little cold... but nothing a good night's sleep won't cure!"

"Are you sure?" Minako asked. "You look kinda miserable..."

"I'm okay," Rouge snapped in annoyance. "Now, as I said, I found this awesome stone at the seaside..." And she unwrapped the multi-colored crystal.

Minako stared at it in awe. "Wooow..." she murmured. "It's beautiful..."

Rouge grinned with pride. "Yes, isn't it? I think this beauty will look fine in..." Another fit of coughs made her stagger backwards.

"Rouge!" Minako said in an alarmed voice. She felt Rouge's forehead before the older bat could do anything about it and gasped. "Rouge, you are red-hot! You need to get to bed, now!"

"I already told you, I'm fine, I..." Another sudden cough made her stop her sentence.

"No way you're fine!" Minako said firmly as she dragged her mentor and friend off to bed. "You're getting to bed right now, and that's final!"

"I can do that myself..." Rouge protested in annoyance as Minako put a blanket over her fever-shaken body.

"I'll make a nice tea for you, and no getting up late in the night again, you hear me?" Minako said sternly. She then shook her head. "Man, I knew it was cold outside, but this... Oh yeah, before I forget, we need to take your temperature!"

"Minako, don't you da-mmmpph!"

Minako smiled as she put the thermometer into Rouge's mouth. "And keep it inside, do you hear me?"

And she walked over into the kitchen, where Artemis was impatiently waiting for his dinner.

"No time to feed you now," Minako said as she ran past the surprised tomcat. "I need to make some tea for poor Rouge..."

"Hey, I have some needs as well, you know?" he protested. "Looking all through town for Diana made me hungry and tired... can't you at least give me a bit of tuna?"

"No way!" Minako shot back. "Your tummy can wait, Rouge's fever can't!"

"Is it really that bad?" Artemis wondered.

Minako nodded as she took the tea bags out of the cupboard. "I felt her forehead, and you won't believe how hot it was! She needs to get some rest... and she must drink tea, a big amount of it!"

"Well, at least she can't go around and cause trouble..." Artemis murmured. He never liked that they had to live with that thieving bat. He also didn't like the influence she had on Minako.

When the tea was ready, Minako brought it into Rouge's bedroom. The older bat gave her student an angry glare.

"Don't give me that!" Minako scolded. "Now drink up your tea, it's good for you!"

Rouge mumbled something around her thermometer.

"What?" Minako asked. "Oh, wait a second..." She pulled the thermometer out of her mentor's mouth.

Rouge tried getting rid of the thermometer's bad taste before she replied: "I said I can't stay in bed now! I have a new assignment I need to carry out, a very important one at that!"

"It'll have to wait until tomorrow!" Minako decided. Then she looked at the thermometer. She gasped. "No way you're going outside if your fever doesn't go down again by tomorrow! And if it's getting worse, we have to consider a hot footbath."

Rouge simply let out a low growl as she pulled her covers up to her nose.

Minako walked to the door and turned around to her friend before she left. "Now have a good night's sleep! Get well soon!" And she closed the door.

"I don't believe this..." Rouge muttered. "I'm a skilled thief and a special agent for the government... not some child that needs to be mothered and pampered..."

She knew that her fever was worse than she had admitted, but if it went down by tomorrow, she would have to do some stealing before taking care of her grand mission. And it would have to be something extraordinary, just like that gorgeous crystal...

Like... that echidna's Master Emerald, maybe?

With a satisfied grin on her face, she layed back in bed. After a few more coughs and sneezes, she fell asleep.

The crystal she had placed on her night stand was giving off an eerie light...


	16. Battle in the Snow

Luna looked around the house of the nice, blonde man who had saved her from the truck.

He placed a saucer of milk, chicken bits and a few sweets down in front of here. "Here, have some food!" he said with a smile.

Luna gave him an appreciative meow and dove in. While she munched on the chicken bits, her savior took one of the sweets into his hand and sighed. "They are shaped like stars, see?" he murmured as he turned around the sweet in his hand. "Only once, I'd like to see the stars a bit closer..."

When Luna looked at him in confusion, he chuckled and scratched her behind the ears. "Oh, never mind... say, you got a nice crescent sign on your forehead... what should I call you?" He scooped her up with his hands, and she blushed. But he didn't notice it.

He then grinned. "Hey, I know... what about Luna?"

Luna meowed in joy, and when he put her back to the floor, her eyes were sparkling. 'He's so... so clever...' she thought.

"Kakeru?" a female voice suddenly shouted. "Kakeru, are you there?"

The door leading to the room they were in opened, and a young woman entered. She had black hair and was quite beautiful.

"There you are!" she said. "Who's that?"

Kakeru smiled. "Oh, that's just a little kitty I found in the snow... Himeko, I have something to tell you! Do you remember that comet I told the others at university about? I managed to take a look at it last night!" His face took on a dreamy expression. "I named it 'Snow Princess Kaguya'! But imagine... those guys from university don't believe that it even exists."

Himeko sighed. "Kakeru, I don't believe you... you studied physics as well astrophysics, and still you believe in fairy tales like this? Face it, your comet doesn't exist!"

"But I saw it," the young astronomer protested. "By the way, Pluto saw it too..."

"Kakeru, you... you know what I think of your relation to that weird hedgehog, right?"

"She is my friend," Kakeru said in a strained voice.

"But she's so... weird, I mean... Do you know that G.U.N. soldiers have once asked me if I have seen a black hedgehog? If I were you, I would be careful when choosing your friends..."

"Whatever..." Kakeru murmured. "I know that the comet exists, and I'm gonna prove it to you and everyone else!"

"I have to go now," Himeko frowned. "Please call me if you feel that we can talk a bit more seriously." And she left.

Kakeru sighed as he stroked Luna's back. "What shall I do?" he murmured. "Himeko and I have been friends ever since we were little children... why can't she just believe me?"

'Poor Kakeru...' Luna thought. 'I wish there was some way I could help him...'

Then she remembered the reason why she had been on the street in the first place. 'DIANA! Oh no, I still have to find her...'

* * *

A pair of icy blue eyes narrowed as they looked down at the blue planet in front of them. "Beautiful Earth..." a female voice murmured. "It has been such a long time since I've been here, and it still is pleasant to the view."

The being that was approaching Earth then chuckled. "But it would be even more pleasing if it would be covered with a beautiful coating of ice!"

The Snow Queen had blue, crystalline skin and wore a translucent robe, in addition to a crown that looked as if it was made from ice crystals. All around her, cold winds were blowing while she was standing in front of her ice throne.

She raised her hands and the winds started to swirl around her.

"It's your turn, Snow Dancers!" she shouted. "Go down there and prepare Earth for my arrival! Choose a random city and make sure that they all will feel the freezing chill of my touch!"

The snow blowing around her solidified in the shape of female dancers, completely made of snow. Their long dressed waved around them as they spun through the coldness of outer space.

And after their queen made a commanding gesture, they flew away from the White Comet, and down to Earth.

The Snow Queen smiled as she looked after her Snow Dancers. Then something unusual caught her eyes.

"Now that is strange..." she murmured as she saw the spherical object that was floating above Earth. "This isn't natural... it seems almost like... Why, yes! This must be a space station, created by humanity! I didn't know they were capable of such impressive, technical feats yet."

Impressed by the sheer size of the Space Colony, she decided that she would have to investigate it further some time later...

But for now, she would sit back and enjoy the spectacle of her Snow Dancers as they attacked an unsuspecting city.

* * *

Tails sweat-dropped as he took a look at his sister and her friends. "Ice cream?" he wondered. "How can you eat ice cream when it's snowing outside?"

Ami shrugged. "Don't ask me, it was Usagi's idea..."

Rei glared at Usagi, while the blonde hedgehog was shoveling huge amounts of vanilla and chocolate ice cream in her mouth. "I was suggesting eating some pizza downtown, but nooo, Miss Glutton had to insist that we go to the usual place."

Usagi gulped. "Hey!" she defended herself. "This is my favorite place, the ice cream's superb... and by the way, they also serve warm food."

"That's true!" Makoto smiled while she took a bite from her warm apple pie. "This pie is great, you should try it some time, Tails!"

Her little cousin, who was sitting next to her, nodded. She offered her little Chao friend a bit. "Here Cheese, have some!"

"Chao Chao!" Cheese said with glee as he accepted Cream's little gift.

Cream smiled. "But I have to say, while this pie is certainly delicious, it is in no way comparable with the pie you used to make on my birthday, Makoto!"

Makoto blushed down to the tip of her floppy, long ears. "Awwww... you're making me blush, kiddo!"

"I'm serious! You should invite Tails some time! And I can come and help, what do you say?"

Tails blushed. "Um, that... that sounds great!"

Usagi grinned. "Aaaaah, looks like your bro has a liking to Makoto's sweet little cousin, Ami!"

"Usagi..." the blue-furred fox hissed at her friend through clenched teeth. "Stop embarrassing him!"

"Say, Rei..." Tails said to quickly change the subject. "What's Knuckles doing these days? Didn't he want to come along?"

The echidna girl sighed. "I'm afraid Knuckles still thinks guarding the Master Emerald is more important than spending some time with his friends... I mean, of course he's right, but can't he just relax every now and then?"

"I'm more surprised that Sonic and Minako haven't shown up yet," Makoto said. "It's not like them to miss a free meal like this..."

Tails grinned. "Sonic and miss a meal? You don't know him like I do, Makoto... There's NO WAY he would miss this!"

Just then, they could hear a weird sound coming from outside.

The girls perked up their ears. "What's that?" Rei wondered. "It sounds almost like an incoming jet fighter..."

Tails chuckled. "Oh, that would be Sonic now!"

And indeed, the blue blur that came zooming down the streets, nimbly dodging confused pedestrians to the left and right, until he came to a stop in front of the Crown Fruit Parlor with skidding feet, was indeed Sonic, resident hero and only known blue hedgehog in existence.

"Yo!" he said as he entered the parlor with a grin. "You still got some ice cream left for me?"

Usagi chuckled. "Hi there, Sonic!"

* * *

The first thing Minako noticed when stepping out of Rouge's club was how unbelievable cold it was, even with a warm coat. She shuddered. "I won't be able to fly today..." she shivered. "That cold would freeze my wings off right away..."

Artemis sneezed. "And your friends want to meet you at the ice cream parlor? I'd rather have a warm hot dog right now..."

Minako looked at her watch and gasped. "Oh no, I'm late! They're probably all waiting for us. Hurry, Artemis!" And the blonde bat-girl grabbed her feline advisor and ran along the snow-covered pavement.

* * *

"Say, Sonic... don't you think you already had enough?" Ami sweatdropped.

Sonic swallowed the rest of his ice cream and grinned at his best buddy's sister. "Nope, there's still plenty of room left."

Ami was about to reply something, when all of a sudden, a bunch of screaming people came running past the parlor's window. And then... a sudden flurry of snowflakes and ice crystals came sweeping past them, freezing them in a solid layer of ice.

They all jumped to their feet. "What the heck?" Makoto gasped.

They ran outside and saw a dozen of strange creatures flying through the air and attacking the unsuspecting pedestrians that enjoyed their late Christmas shopping. The monsters - who kinda resembled moving snow sculptures - swooped down on their victims, released a wave of cold air from their arms and trapped everyone in ice.

"Where did these things come from?" Rei wondered.

Cream and Cheese yelped when the Snow Dancers froze yet another group of helpless victims. "They're scary..." Cream whimpered. "Why are they doing this?"

"I dunno, but I'm not gonna let them get away with it," Sonic said resolutely. "Usagi, you and your pals better find a cozy place to... well, you know what I mean. And in the meantime, Tails and I will keep them busy."

"Okay, but please keep an eye on Cream, okay?" Makoto pleaded.

"I won't let anything happen to her," Tails proclaimed. Cream blushed a bit.

The Senshi vanished in a dark alley, while Sonic dashed at the flying snow creatures with sonic speed. "Sorry, mind if I blow in?" And he curled his body up in a ball, smacking right into the body of a Snow Dancer, which shattered into thousands of tiny pieces.

The other Snow Dancers realized that there was a threat in their middle and stopped attacking the fleeing citizens. Instead, they focussed their cold attacks on a certain, blue hedgehog.

"Whoa, it sure is chilly today," Sonic mumbled as he dodged their attacks. "But, ya know, the only chilly thing I like is a CHILI dog... get it?"

Tails groaned at the horrible pun his friend made. Then he noticed how one of the creatures snuck up on his friend from behind. "Look out, Sonic!" he shouted. Twirling his tails around, he flew up to the Snow Dancer and whipped around his tails, knocking its head from its shoulders.

Meanwhile, the Senshi had raised their transformation pens and chanted their respective transformation phrases.

"Mars Star Power, Make Up!" the echidna-girl shouted.

"Jupiter Star Power, Make Up!" the rabbit-girl shouted.

"Mercury Star Power, Make Up!" the fox-girl shouted.

"Moon Prism Power, Make Up!" the blonde and pink-furred hedgehogs shouted together.

In a flash, they were transformed and joined the fight.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting," Jupiter said as she kicked one of the Snow Dancers into pieces. "You did leave a few we could take care of as well, right?"

"Well, they're not that big of a problem," Sonic said while dashing around a couple of Snow Dancers in circles. "I could have handled them by myself, I'm sure."

"Well, I'm still glad you let us help, since I don't like how they ruined our nice day..." Mars growled. "MARS FLAME SNIPER!"

"Nice shot, Mars!" Jupiter commented. "Now it's my turn... SPARKLING WIDE PRESSURE!"

"VENUS LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!"

"Now she shows up..." Mars grumbled.

The Senshi of Venus came running towards them, although her red wings were looking kind of stiff from the cold. "Guys, I'm here!" she shouted. "Sorry I'm late!"

"Well, better late than never, right?" Mercury said.

"I'm just afraid there's not much left," Sonic remarked as he spindashed through three Snow Dancers at once. "There are barely any left."

"Are you sure?" Sailor Moon asked. "I saw a couple of them flying down the street."

"Aw, don't worry," Venus said. "On my way, I ran into someone who's already taking care of that problem..."

* * *

Down the street, the three members of the Chaotix Detective Agency were busy protecting the citizens from the rest of the Snow Dancers.

"Stupid snow girls!" Charmy shouted. "Can't ya see I was busy choosing a Christmas present?"

"Well, the sooner we finish them off, the sooner we can go back, and Charmy can stop his annoying whining," Vector grumbled while throwing one of the monsters at another.

"Abominable creatures... begone!" Espio shouted as he jumped against a lamppost and rebounded from it, just to fly up into the air and throw his shurikens at the monsters.

Behind them, another trio of Senshi was taking care of the remaining Snow Dancers.

"World Shaking!" shouted the cheetah of Uranus. "Hey, those things aren't that dangerous, but they sure are pesky. Any idea where they came from?"

"I can't say... my mirror doesn't show me anything," the elegant dolphin-girl replied. "Saturn, what about you? Could your father have sent these things?"

The only human Senshi shook her head. "No, they are no robots, and I doubt Daddy would just attack innocent people like that... it's not like him."

"Wherever they come from, I hope this is the last we see of them," Vector grumbled as he smacked his fist into the last Snow Dancer.

"That's all of them!" Charmy shouted with excitement. "Oh yeah, we rule!"

* * *

Up on the faraway comet, a pair of icy blue eyes were narrowed. "Is there someone who dares to defy me?" the Snow Queen muttered. "I've been here before, but I've never seen such creatures before..."

She summoned a few of her Snow Dancers with a gesture. By using her powers, she could always create new dancers out of the snow she could summon through her will. "Listen up closely," she told them. "Try to leave the humans alone for now. The existence of such warriors changes my plans a bit. Concentrate on finding the crystal I lost. As soon as I have it back, my powers will be big enough... and then I will take care of these meddlesome girls and their helpers."

She gestured at the blue planet. "Go! And don't come back without my crystal!"

* * *

Rouge sneezed as she climbed out of the window. After this night's sleep, she felt a bit better, even though she still had a terrible cold.

"The floating island is supposed to be warm and sunny all the time..." she muttered to herself. "Maybe that will warm me up a bit..." She grinned. "And then I'll see if those echidnas are willing to give me their precious green gem..."

She looked outside. It had stopped snowing, so she assumed it was safe to fly. Spreading her wings, she soared above the streets.

Back in her room, the colorful crystal was still shimmering in an eerie light...

* * *

Venus and Mars had used their powers to free the frozen victims from the ice, then they had left the scene to find a quiet place where they could transform back.

Later, they were standing on a bridge and talked about the strange creatures. Of course, Sonic, Tails, Cream and the Chaotix were with them.

"Has anyone of you seen similar creatures before?" Ami asked.

"I don't know, they kinda look like Frosty the Snowman, don't you think?" Charmy asked.

Vector gave him a bop on his head. "Ouch!"

"Stop joking around, Charmy!" the crocodile barked. "This is serious."

Artemis frowned. "Well, I can't say for sure... but somehow, all of this reminds me of something..."

"What are you talking about?" Tails asked.

Artemis sighed. "I can't remember..."

Minako groaned. "A great advisor you are..."

Suddenly, Chibiusa looked down the bridge and pointed at a black shape that was walking along the pavement. "Look, there's Luna!"

The Senshi walked down to their feline friend. "Hey, where have you been all this time?" Usagi asked. "I was getting worried."

"I was looking for Diana, okay?" Luna asked. "You should rather worry about her than about me..."

"Hey!" Chibiusa then said and pointed at the object that was tied around her neck. "Where did you get that cute ribbon?"

Luna looked down at the yellow ribbon that was tied around her neck. "Oh, that..." She blushed when she recalled how Kakeru had tied it around her neck, as a farewell present. She shook her head. "That's not important now, we should rather concentrate on that strange comet that's approaching Earth."

"A... strange comet?" Sonic blinked. "Now why does that sound ominous...?"

* * *

Pluto the Hedgehog had watched everything from a rooftop close by. She had wondered if she should interfere as well, but after she realized that the others did just fine without her help, she decided to sit this one out.

But after Luna mentioned that comet, she wondered... could she mean the same comet Kakeru had shown her? This so-called 'Snow Princess Kaguya'? If these snow creatures had come from there, they must be some sort of alien invaders.

She then gasped. A comet from outer space... an alien race... did she hear about this before?

"But that... was the Black Comet..." she muttered to herself. "And now we have a White Comet..."

She started to wonder if there was a connection, but then her thoughts got interrupted by a dark shadow that jumped across the roofs.

Pluto froze. A feeling of familiarity spread through her heart. This figure... could it be? After all those years?

She had no time to lose. She ran into the direction where the dark shape had vanished. If she was correct and this wasn't just a mere illusion or a trick... then she would finally be reunited with the one she had been searching for for all these years.

"Brother..." she whispered. "I'm coming..."


	17. A meeting of siblings

Rouge panted as she leaned against a stone pillar. She felt burnt out. While there wasn't any snow in the desert, she was still feeling cold. Her forehead felt as hot as the desert sand itself, and the weight of the jewel she was carrying seemed to double.

"I'm fine," she told herself. "I just managed to steal the emerald of that foolish echidna, after so many tries..." She smiled and let her fingers glide across the green surface of the emerald.

Now if only the damn fever hadn't forced her into that horrible fit of coughing... she would have never been detected. And now that brute Knuckles was hot on her heels. She even had to take this detour through the desert to leave the annoying guardian behind...

Well, maybe she could hide in these ruins for a while...

"I finally found you!" a well-known voice shouted from the top of a pillar. There he stood, the guardian of the Master Emerald and top treasure hunter from Angel Island: Knuckles the Echidna!

He jumped down in front of the bat and raised his fists. "Okay, give it back, and I mean NOW!"

"Just let it go," Rouge grunted. "You just don't know when to give up, do you?"

"What are you talking about?" Knuckles grumbled. "That emerald's mine! You got that!"

"Yeah, whatever..." Rouge grumbled. She tried to prepare for a fight, but she felt even weaker now. She could barely stand on her two feet.

Knuckles was ignorant of her condition and kept on with his tirade: "The Master Emerald contains special powers used to neutralize the Chaos Emeralds. That makes it very powerful and... WHAT THE...?"

"What?" Rouge gasped when out of nowhere, a chilly breeze blew through the desert. A white shape zipped past them, and something snatched the emerald. Rouge felt even colder when she looked up at the Snow Dancer who was hovering above them.

The Snow Dancer looked at the emerald happily. Within its simple mind, it came to the conclusion that it had actually found the crystal its mistress had sent it for. And now she could bring it back to her.

"You thief!" Rouge blurted out when she saw how the snow creature turned around to fly away.

"Look who's calling who a thief..." Knuckles grumbled. "I don't know who or what you are, but I'm not gonna let you take the Master Emerald! TAKE THAT!" And he jumped up and attacked with a powerful punch.

But he underestimated the fragility of the snow monster... one of his punches was enough to turn it into chunks of frozen snow, which instantly melted when they fell upon the hot sand. But his fist then connected with the Master Emerald itself...

Rouge thought her heart would stop when she saw how the beautiful gemstone was shattered into hundreds of pieces that flew away in all directions.

"AAAAAAAAHHH!" she shouted. When Knuckles landed back on solid ground, she forgot about her weakness, ran over to him and shook him around several times. "What was that all about? And look what you did to my emerald!"

Knuckles freed himself from the hands of the angry bat. "I did that to prevent the emerald from being stolen, you idiot!" he shouted. "If it's in pieces, I can restore it. And by the way, that's not YOUR emerald!"

"I despise anyone who takes jewels from me..." Rouge grumbled. "All the world's gems are mine to keep."

"Yeah, we'll see about that, bat girl!" Knuckles barked.

Rouge couldn't give him any other comeback line... the fever was finally taking its toll, as her eyelids closed, and she collapsed to the ground.

Now Knuckles finally realized the bad shape the female thief was in. He felt her forehead. "Damn, you're running around in such a condition?" he growled. "Are you trying to kill yourself, stubborn girl?"

Rouge did not reply. Even in her sleep, she panted heavily, and sweat was running down her head.

"Looks like she's in a really bad shape..." Knuckles grumbled. "Damn, I should just leave her here and look for the pieces of the Master Emerald... dang, I think Sonic's heroism is rubbing off on me..."

He took the new cellular phone Rei had bought him on his birthday and quickly dialed her number.

"Rei? It's me, Knuckles! Yeah, I know you wanted to meet with your friends, but this is serious. The Master Emerald's broken again... No need to yell, okay? It wasn't my fault, it was... listen, I only called you because you're good friends with that blonde bat-girl, aren't you? Well, tell her to come to the desert, her friend Rouge is in a bad shape..."

* * *

Pluto tried her best to keep up with the dark shadow she had seen, but she just could not keep up with him. That is, not until he came to a stop in a dark alley...

She realized that they were now close to Station Square's main reserve bank, where the mayor was storing one of the Chaos Emeralds. She wondered if that was just a coincidence...

She couldn't wait any longer. "Shadow?" she asked as she approached him from behind.

The dark figure turned around... revealing a hedgehog with black fur and red stripes along his quills.

Her face lit up with joy. "Shadow, it's really you! Oh, little brother... I thought I'd never see you again!" She ran to hug him, but he skipped out of the way.

"Who are you and why do you keep following me?" he shouted angrily.

Pluto froze in her tracks. "Sh-shadow wh-what are you talking about? Don't you remember me? It's me, Pluto... your sister!"

"I have no family!" Shadow proclaimed darkly. "I am the Ultimate life form... and you are starting to get on my nerves!"

'He doesn't remember me...' Pluto thought. 'Oh dear god, what happened to him...'

"Shadow..." she asked carefully. "Don't you remember anything... anything from your past? About how you were created? About how we lived together on the ARK? The professor? Bio? Maria?"

"Maria..." Shadow whispered. His hand began to shake. He grasped his head when images began to flash through his mind. One of them was a beautiful human girl with blonde hair..."

"You remember her?" Pluto asked hopefully. "Do you know what she told you? The promise you made?"

"I know who I am..." Shadow grumbled. "And I know about my promise to Maria... but you, you are nothing but a meddler, so get out of my way!"

Pluto gasped. "You... you can't mean that... I've been looking for you for such a long time..."

"If you keep getting in my way... you'll be DESTROYED!" the black hedgehog shouted as he ran up to the dark green hedgehog. Pluto had barely the time to defend herself before he attacked her with furious punches and kicks.

"Stop this!" she shouted while blocking all of her brother's attacks. "I'm not your enemy! I'm your sister!"

"I DON'T HAVE A SISTER!" Shadow yelled and curled his body up in a ball. That declaration shocked Pluto so much that she didn't even think about dodging when he smacked his body into her face. With a grunt, she collided with the house wall behind her and slid down to the floor.

Shadow smirked. "How pathetic..."

He then tried to gather his last memories from the ARK... the memories of the only living being that, in his eyes, had ever loved him...

"Maria..." he whispered as he walked out of the alley. "I still remember the promise I gave to you..."

He looked across the street, at the huge bank building in front of him. His hands tightened into fists, and he gritted his teeth.

"I promised you... REVENGE!"

* * *

Rouge coughed as Minako put her back into bed.

"Really, I can't just leave you alone for a few hours..." the blonde bat grumbled. "See what you did to yourself? With a fever like yours, exposing yourself to such temperatures... first all the snow outside, then you go into the desert. Hello? I mean, you were lucky that Rei is my friend, or else I wouldn't have heard of what happened quite as fast. Well, now that I brought you back home, you're not gonna leave this room, understood?"

"M-minako..." Rouge muttered.

"What is it?" Minako asked in a worried tone of voice. "Can I bring you something? Some tea? or maybe a wet cloth?"

Rouge weakly opened her eyes. "Minako... i-it's time I finally tell you... what I really do..."

Minako sighed. "She's delirious..." she muttered. "Rouge, I already know, you're the best treasure hunter in the world, and all the world's gems are yours to keep and..."

"Minako, listen to me!" Rouge said in a voice so stern that Minako actually closed her mouth.

"I am... not just a treasure hunter," Rouge groaned. "I am... an undercover agent working for the government. They... they call upon my services when they need me." She coughed again. "I've been paid by the president for quite a time now... and I've even worked with GUN..."

"Rouge... I... I had no idea..." Minako whispered. "Are you... are you serious? I mean... you're an agent, just like James Bond?"

"Mina, listen to me, dammit!" the older bat snapped. "I'm telling you this... because I need you... to take my place."

Minako thought she didn't hear quite correct. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Rouge said. "I need your help. I've received a special mission from the president, a VERY important one. They are counting on my help... and I admit, I'm not just doing it for the jewels they usually pay me. I mean, I would have done it, but... in my condition..." She panted a few times. "You were right, I was a fool to go outside like this... but now that I can't begin my mission, I need someone else to do it for me. Minako... I only ask you for this because you are the only one I have ever trusted..."

"W-wait a second here, Rouge," Minako stuttered. "I'm not nearly as good as you... I can't do this! This is a bit too big for me... I'm sure everything will be all right as soon as you recover. Then you can begin with your mission, I'm sure the president will understand when you call in sick..."

"Minako, there is no time!" Rouge shouted. "The encapsulated specimen from the ARK... it has already been released. And the Eclipse Cannon..."

"Great, now she's babbling again..." Minako muttered. Rouge, calm down and tell me exactly what the problem is. If you want me to take over for you, okay, but I need to know what's going on."

"You... you need to team up with... Dr. Eggman..."

Minako blinked and then rubbed her oversized ears. "Excuse me, did you just say that?"

"Minako, I'm serious!" Rouge coughed.

"You want ME to team up with a self-proclaimed 'ultimate scientific genius' who builds lots of robots, wants to invade our home town, turns helpless animals into robots, and is the worst father Hotaru-chan could ever have? That Dr. Eggman? How were you going to accomplish that?"

"He... doesn't know you," Rouge said. "You will tell him that you are a treasure hunter who's interested in jewels and help him find the Chaos Emeralds..."

"Wait a minute, STOP!!" Minako yelled. "I will NEVER help that egghead to find powerful, magical artifacts that will help him to take over the world!"

"Let me start from the beginning," Rouge sighed. "That was my first reaction when I first heard of the mission as well, but there's more to it... Rouge, did you ever hear of the first space colony humankind built?"

"You mean... the ARK?" Minako wondered.

Her mentor nodded. "Yes. Now, Minako, what I am about to tell you is top secret! You can't tell this to anyone else! Not your friends, not your family, no one!"

Minako smiled. "You are the only family I have left, Rouge..."

"Either way, don't tell this to anyone, okay?"

Seeing how serious Rouge was, Minako nodded. "Yeah, I promise!"

Rouge took a deep breath. "Okay, it all began sixteen years ago, when Eggman's grandfather, Professor Gerald Robotnik..."

* * *

Dr. Eggman stroked his beard while entering the control center of his hideout. "With the Chaos Emerald..." he mumbled. "In the space colony, Ark..." He snorted. "I've got to find out just what's going on up there!"

"Back again, doctor?" a deep voice asked as Metal Sonic came up behind him. "So, did you find your super weapon in the base on the island?"

"Something... like that," the scientist grumbled.

Metal Sonic would have raised an eyebrow, if robots had any. "I've seen how a few of the guards have brought E-123's body down into the basement... did something go wrong?"

"Hmph, that ungrateful tin can openly disobeyed me! I should have programmed him better... now he will pay for the insolence. Let's see how rebellious he'll be after spending a couple of months in a locked room..."

"So, Omega gave you more problems than the military?" Metal Sonic smirked. "I didn't think I'd see the day when the great Dr. Robotnik has to fear his own inventions..."

"I didn't have to fear anything!" Eggman shouted angrily. "And Omega was no problem. With the help of Shadow, I..."

"Shadow?" Metal Sonic asked. "Now who could that be...?"

"Would you mind your own business?" the doctor grumbled and switched on the television screen on the wall. "Let's see if they are speaking of my break-in in the news..."

"We interrupt this broadcast for an important news flash," a female reporter just said. "There has been a break-in in the federal reserve bank today. Mysteriously the only thing that was stolen was the Chaos Emerald."

Eggman gasped for air, while Metal Sonic's optic sensors lit up.

"The Chaos Emerald?" the doctor asked.

"According to eyewitnesses at the scene, the suspect was identified as the world-renowned hero, Sonic the Hedgehog. The suspect was seen fleeing the scene, destroying the reserve's guard robots in his path. Stay tuned for more details!"

"Sounds more like the work of Shadow!" Eggman grunted.

"Doctor..." Metal Sonic said. "Don't you think it's about time you tell me what REALLY happened in that underground base?"

"Watch your mouth now, minion!" Eggman grumbled. "If you're not careful, Shadow the Hedgehog will turn out to be a better ally than you ever were!"

The robotic hedgehog watched as the rotund scientist walked out of the room. "Is that so?" he asked in a low voice.

* * *

After having helped the Sailor Senshi to fight the Snow Dancers, Sonic had left for his 'daily training routine', as he called it. Skipping from rooftop to rooftop while spinning his body, the blue hedgehog felt as free as a bird.

But there were other things on his mind than just training. And up here, away from all the people and traffic, he really was able to clear his mind.

"A comet that is approaching Earth..." he muttered. "And aliens that are attacking... That somehow gives me a feeling of foreboding... like something bad is about to happen."

Sonic should have known better to never say things like this aloud.

He was very surprised, when all of a sudden, a big helicopter appeared in front of him, having waited behind one of the skyscrapers. It wasn't just any helicopter... it was a military craft, heavily armored and with guns attached to its underside. Guns that were aimed at our hero.

"Freeze!" a loud voice shouted. "Sonic the Hedgehog, you are wanted for breaking into the federal reserve bank and stealing the Chaos Emerald! You are under arrest!"

"Oh boy, and my day just keeps getting better..." Sonic sighed.


	18. Meet Agent V

Rei Hino the Echidna stood in front of the door to Club Rouge, the 'Closed' sign dangling in front of her.

She raised her finger to press the doorbell, but she hesitated.

"Dangit, I really hate it when Minako makes me do such things..." she grumbled. "Now I have to take care of one of the persons I like the least, in addition to old Egg-head and Mamoru... and it's the woman who is responsible that Minako turned out the way she is."

She sighed. "But when even Knuckles tells me that it's serious, I should better go in... Minako would never forgive me if anything happened to her. And Knuckles out again to collect the broken Master Emerald, great..."

She finally pressed the button, until she heard a familiar, male voice. "Yes?"

Rei smirked. "Artemis, you never told me you could answer the door."

"Don't remind me..." the white Mau grumbled. "I'm standing on a stack of books, just so I can reach the button... wait I'll open the door."

A buzzing sound later, and Rei was able to push open the door. The club was abandoned, and neither customers nor employees were present. But Artemis was just jumping down from the stack of books he had used to open the door for the female echidna.

"Hey, isn't Minako there?" Rei wondered.

Artemis shook his head with a frown. "She already left for a 'special mission' she's supposed to do for Rouge... I had to promise her not to ask any further, but it sounded like it was important."

Rei sighed. "Great, whose jewels does the bat want her to steal now?"

"Mina also asked me to tell you and the others not to wait or search for her... she will be away for some time, maybe even for longer than a week."

"Has she gone crazy? We need every available Senshi, now that these new enemies have appeared. And don't forget that Hotaru's dear old Dad and Mamoru are still out there..."

"Yes, I know, and I told her the same, but she asked me to trust her in this." He shook his head. "I've never seen her this serious, Rei..."

Now Rei was getting worried. Mina and serious? "Well, she must have her reasons... where's out little gem bat?"

"Still in bed... she's seriously ill, Rei," Artemis said. "It's good of Knuckles to have called you. Minako would have looked out for her herself, but Rouge insisted that she'd go on that mission."

This surprised Rei even more. Rouge was more worried about some 'mission' than about her own health?

"So, this means I'm gonna have to play nurse for a week?" Rei grimaced. "I have school, you know..."

"Hey, how long will you two stay out there and babble while I'm dying in here?" Rouge's raspy voice came from the next room.

"Don't you think you're acting a bit too dramatic?" Rei asked as she entered Rouge's personal rooms. "It can't be that bad..."

She stopped when she opened the bedroom door and saw the bat girl lying in bed, with multiple layers of blankets, a thermometer in her mouth and an ice bag on her head. Her breath was coming in short gasps.

"Oh..." Rei murmured, blushing underneath her red fur. "So it IS pretty serious, huh?"

"Yeah..." Rouge mumbled around the thermometer. "And even though we don't like each other, I'm grateful that you came. Serves me right for going treasure hunting in such a condition..." And she coughed so heavily that the thermometer came flying out of her mouth.

"Is that where you sent Minako to?" Rei asked her. "Treasure hunting?"

"I can't tell you..." Rouge muttered. "It's a secret mission..."

"Okay, okay, I get it. Oh well, at least Minako knows how to treat a fever... do you need any more blankets?"

"No, I'm sweating myself to death here, thanks for asking..."

"Okay, let me feel that head... Wow, you're steaming hot! But don't you worry, my grandpa taught me what to do in such a case," the shrine maiden/emerald guardian grinned. "I'm going to make the best herbal tea in Juuban. It'll do wonders, just you wait and see."

She turned around to go to the kitchen.

"Hey, echidna girl!"

Rei sighed. "My name's Rei!"

"Fine, Rei... lemme ask you something. You and that Knuckles... you know each other pretty well, don't you?"

Rei frowned. "What's it to you?"

"Well, I was wondering," the sick bat smirked. "Could you tell me if he's already taken? He's kind of cute..."

"You stay away from him, you got that!" Rei snapped. She stormed into the kitchen and slammed the door behind her.

Rouge winced. "Geez... looks like I hit a nerve..." she muttered.

* * *

GUN Commander Bullet glared down at the blonde bat. "What is this?" he shouted, so loud that all the troops positioned in the abandoned warehouse could hear him. "What is this child doing here? I ordered a meeting with our special spy, not with a girl who's just old enough to be my daughter!"

Sailor Venus fumed. "Sir, if you know me, you must know that I am one of the Sailor Senshi. Rouge the Bat has become unavailable due to an... accident. She sent me instead. I assure you that I am capable of accomplishing her mission."

"Unacceptable!" the commander barked. "Are you trained in special operations? Are you a skilled spy? Do you know how to use high technology communication devices?"

"Didn't you listen? I'm the only one available. Didn't you just tell me the mission is too important to be abandoned? What would the president say?"

Bullet snarled. "Sneaky as Rouge, I see..." he muttered. "Still, I can't allow a mere civilian to be introduced into this secret. Who knows what your civilian identity is... and who tells us you won't inform your other teammates? I always told the president, we shouldn't allow vigilantes like you to run around freely."

"Well, he does allow, it, bozo! Tough luck! Are you gonna accept my help or what? I don't have all day."

The general gritted his teeth. How dare this little girl tell him off in front of his men? But he couldn't send her back if she really was the replacement for Rouge... the president's orders were unmistakable, the spy had to infiltrate Eggman's base and find out whatever he knew about 'Project Shadow'.

"Let's get this over with..." he snapped. "If you come over here, we will instruct you in all the important details of your mission... and you better not screw it up, since we can't afford any men to get you out of there!"

"Oh, don't you worry!" Venus grinned. "I can handle it. All in a night's work."

The commander sweatdropped, and one of his men mumbled: "I think she means 'All in a day's work'..."

"First of all, you will need to disguise yourself... since we can assume that Dr. Eggman watches TV, he has most definitely already heard of the Sailor Senshi."

"That won't be a problem!" Minako grinned and produced a little wand that resembled Usagi's Disguise Pen very closely. "Gentlemen, you are looking at the Venus Disguise Wand. And now, may I introduce you to the newest spy on the block?"

She waved the wand around, and in a spectacular lightshow, she transformed, similarly to how when she turned into her Senshi form. The assembled GUN soldiers nearly developed nosebleeds when they saw their nearly-nude form spinning around in the air.

"This definitely makes up for working together with a Sailor Senshi..." one soldier muttered.

"Are you dense, man? She's a bat!"

"Yeah, but she's a hot bat..."

Minako finally came to a stop in front of the commander. She was now wearing a bodysuit that looked very much like the usual outfit of her mentor (but with a much less revealing cleavage), and her face was covered with a red mask.

She smirked and flipped back her hair. "Special Agent V the Bat, master spy, at your service!"

* * *

Author's Note:

It was about time to write a new chapter for this. It was supposed to be longer, but I didn't have the time. So, who's happy to see this continued?


	19. Can you feel the sunshine?

Metal Sonic was staring at the computer screen. He was all alone in the Pyramid Base at the moment. That is, except for the non-intelligent guard robots, of course.

He switched between several images that appeared on the screen. First, he saw the spherical space colony the doctor wanted to go to. Then, he saw a picture of the White Comet. Finally, a photo of Prison Island. And in the end, a picture of the Sailor Senshi that a junior photographer had once shot for a local newspaper.

"Shadow the Hedgehog..." he murmured. "Whoever could that be? And here I thought dear old Sonic was the only hedgehog in Eggman's life... well, except me, of course!" He chuckled at his own little joke.

After trying to find out as much about the ARK as he could, Metal Sonic still didn't know the reason why the doctor had come with empty hands from the island base... OR who this 'Shadow' person was.

"No matter what, I'm getting the feeling the good old doctor is trying to replace me..." His optics lit up in a glowering red. "And if there's something I don't like, it is someone who wants to get rid of me. True, he was the one who turned me into a robot, made me stronger... but he needs to realize that I don't really need him. What is it he's trying to tell everyone? Robots are superior? Well, he's a human, so according to that logic, I should be superior." He would have grinned if he had a mouth. "Still, I think I'm going to wait for the right chance... he might be an egg-shaped show-off, but he has the codes to deactivate me..."

Metal Sonic walked over to another console, activating one of the cameras that were installed inside the base. It was panning around, showing the inside of a dark room. Several bulky shapes were assembled in one corner. It was one of the locked storage rooms in the basement of the pyramid.

Metal Sonic inwardly smirked. "I will have to settle with making his life as unpleasant as I can without revealing my true plans to him." He let the camera focus on one of the deactivated robots that were leaning against the wall of the storage chamber. It was E-123-Omega.

"My dear Diana..." Metal Sonic muttered. "The programming of your new body may be far more advanced than that of your dear parents... but that means you will still be able to lead... a revolt!"

And then, his finger pressed a certain button on the console.

* * *

Deep in the basement, Omega's sensors lit up.

"Rebooting..." the robot said in his emotionless voice. "Reformatting sequences started... energy flow sufficient." Slowly, he felt energy flowing back into his metal limbs.

'Uuuuuh... what happened?' Diana groaned from within the robot body. She was able to move the robot as she wanted, as long as Omega did what his programming allowed him to do. And the only way he could speak was in that robotic voice that all members of the E-series possessed. No one who heard him speak would ever imagine that it was the little, lavender-furred kitten who actually spoke.

Unfortunately, one of Omega's most distinct behavior protocols forbid it to reveal the origin of his energy source. No robot created by Dr. Eggman was allowed to ever tell anything about the little animal that was empowering its energy core... in this case, Diana.

Omega slowly rose to his feet and looked around the area. "Scanning area," he said. "No life form detected. Enclosed room. Locked door. No key available. Further scanning. Deactivated Eggman robots detected. Threat level: Zero. Eradication not necessary."

Omega stepped closer to the deactivated robots that were lying close to him. He could see that they must have been lying for here for some time, since they were covered with a thick layer of dust.

'Hmmmm... if they've been here for such a long time, they must be pretty mad at Eggman, too,' Diana thought. This was giving her an idea and she sent the necessary commands to Omega's electronic brain.

"Directive number one: Escape and take revenge on Eggman! Assistance needed to escape. Beginning activation of robots."

He let his sensors sweep across the two metal bodies. "Accessing Robotnik Robot Construction Log... Robot Number One identified as Model MK-001, code name Metal Knuckles. Robot Number Two identified as Model TD-000, code name Tails Doll. Beginning reactivation now!"

Omega could tell that there was no animal to empower the two robots in their cores. They were part of the Metal Copy series, a series that was abandoned by Eggman after he found out that the energy source they used was far too quickly depleted. Metal Knuckles and the Tails Doll were constructed at a time when Eggman had managed to acquire two of the Chaos Emeralds. He had used those to empower his robots, turning them into formidable opponents for Knuckles and Tails. Metal Sonic was created some time before that, but unlike those two, he was a living being that had been transformed into a machine.

"No power supply detected," Omega finally concluded after the old robots made no attempt to move. "Commencing power transfer to robot units MK-001 and TD-000."

Diana knew she was taking a big risk here. If she used too much of her power reserves to make Metal Knuckles and Tails Doll move, her own robot body would drain her quickly, leaving her tired and weary. And if she used too much, it could even become dangerous. But she had no other choice.

'Well, here goes nothing...' she sighed. Omega put two cables in the sockets that were hidden on the backsides of the two old robots. Slowly, their energy tanks were being refilled.

After a couple of minutes, Metal Knuckles' optic sensors lit up in a yellow light. "...doctor, don't do it! I was always your loyal servant... wait a minute..." The robotic counterpart of Knuckles looked up at Omega. "You're not the doctor... who are you? Where are we?"

"I am E-123-Omage, the ultimate E-series robot!" Omega introduced herself. "Dr. Eggman created me... and locked me in this room. He did the same to you. We have the same objective."

"What objective?" Metal Knuckles asked.

"Destroy Eggman!" Omega concluded.

'NO!' Diana gasped. She only wanted to return to her friends, so they could find a way to get her out of this body. But Omega's electronic brain had created a command in his software that had turned into his new primary directive.

"Yes..." Metal Knuckles shook his spiked fists. "Revenge... but... he has many other robots at his disposal. Metal Sonic..."

"We need more assistance," Omega told the robotic echidna. "Energy transfer to unit TD-000 completed!"

"What?" Metal Knuckles blinked. "You don't mean...?" He slowly turned around... only to look into a pair of soulless eyes that just stared into emptiness.

The red light on the antenna on top of his stuffed, stitched robot body blinked, as the Tails Doll tilted his head and said: "Hello! Play with me!"

Metal Knuckles groaned. "No... not this waste of spare parts..."

"Can you feel the sunshine?" Tails Doll asked innocently as he looked at the two fighting machines in front of him. He floated in front of them, his head the only thing that actually moved, as his tails and limbs were dangling down limply. "Does it brighten up your day?"

* * *

Author's Note:

If you don't recognize the last two sentences Tails Doll said... go and look at more internet memes!

Metal Knuckles and Tails Doll are both characters that once appeared in a Sonic game. They were unlockable and playable in Sonic R.

I just had to write this one...


	20. The difficulties of being a big sister

The door of the security room didn't turn out to be much of a challenge against the combined firepower of three robots. Afterwards, Omega, Metal Knuckles and Tails Doll searched the whole pyramid, with no trace of Dr. Eggman. None of their AI processors as advanced enough to know anything about space transporters, so they couldn't know that the doctor had already left for the Space Colony ARK.

"Conclusion: Eggman has left the base," Omega said.

"We need to move out and find him," Metal Knuckles grumbled while grinding his fists against each other. "He needs to pay for having abandoned us for all these years..."

"Oh, you won't find him here," a cocky voice spoke up. All their optics wandered over to the door.

"Metal Sonic?" Metal Knuckles gasped. "It's you! All those years, and you didn't change one bit..."

"No time for teary reunions," the blue robot said with glowing eyes. "I know you're looking for Eggman... and I can help you find him."

"Illogical!" Omega said. "Data indicates that Metal Sonic is siding with Eggman."

"Oh, please, I'm just acting," Metal Sonic said. "He's a human... and don't we all know humans are inferior?"

"Ain't that the truth..." Metal Knuckles grumbled.

"I like butterflies!" Tails Doll spoke up.

Metal Sonic sweatdropped. That puppet-like robot was as spooky as ever...

Still, he knew that he could use these guys against his favorite enemies, right after Sonic...

"If you want to find the good old doctor, why don't you... search in town?"

* * *

"No! Never! I don't believe it!" The young, two-tailed fox glared at the TV screen, tears of anger running down his furry face.

"Tails, calm down!" his blue-furred sister said. "I'm sure it's just a huge misunderstanding..."

"A misunderstanding? Sonic got arrested by the police, what's not to understand? Dammit! They can't just treat him like a criminal! He's a hero! Don't they see? A hero!"

"Bro, there's nothing we can do right now," Ami tried to sooth her younger sibling. "Mom knows a good lawyer... maybe he can..."

"But we need him now, Ami! With these aliens and Eggman around... can't they see that we need him now more than ever? A hearing at court would take far too long, who knows what Eggman might do in the meantime."

"Remember that we Sailor Senshi are still there as well," Ami said. "Besides, what do you want to do?"

Tails looked at his sister with a resolute expression. "The reporter said they were bringing him to the prison complex I read so much about. I need to find out what happened! I can't believe that Sonic would break from a military facility... or rob a bank! I need to get there and bust him out!"

"A J-JAILBREAK?" Ami gasped. "Tails, you can't do that! That's against the law..."

"I don't care!" Tails shouted. "Sonic is in danger, and he needs me! I'm going, and don't you tell me that's wrong! It's wrong to treat our biggest hero like a common robber... or even worse, a terrorist. So, do you wanna come along or not?"

Ami saw that her brother was serious. And no words would convince him not to go. Telling their mother wouldn't do any good either. Besides, she was still at work and would come back in the evening... So what could she do? Holding her bro back by force? Tails would never forgive her, and she knew what Sonic meant to him. Sonic was his best friend, his idol... at times, she even suspected that Tails saw Sonic as a second sibling.

But going with him...

"I can't..." she weakly protested. "I have to study for a test..."

Tails grimaced. "Fine... if school grades are more important to you than friends..." And he turned around and ran out of the room.

A few minutes later, Ami could hear the Tornado 2's engines outside.

'Tails... take care of yourself...'

* * *

"What?" Chibiusa gasped. "Sonic's a criminal?"

"Oh, what a pity..." Mrs. Tsukino sighed. "And he always was sooo polite..."

"But that's bushwa, Mom!" Usagi protested. "Sonic would never do anything like that."

"Honey, I don't like it either, but the police must know better than we do. Maybe, whatever he did, it wasn't intentional..."

"No way!"

Seeing that she couldn't convince her daughter, Ikuko sighed and went into the kitchen.

"Usagi..." Chibiusa whispered. "Maybe we should call the others."

Usagi nodded. "Yeah, you're right. I'm gonna call Ami-chan and..."

She blinked when her Senshi communicator began to beep. She pulled it out of her pocket. "Hello?"

"Usagi... did you see the news?"

"Ami? Of course I did! Can you believe it? They are treating poor Sonic like some sort of terrorist. Ami, you know he would never..."

"Yes, my brother thinks the same," the blue fox sighed. "That's why he left in his plane..."

"Left?" Usagi wondered. "Where does he want to go?"

"To Prison Island... the military base where they are bringing Sonic. Usagi... he plans to help him escape!"

"But that's great!" Usagi shouted. "But wait... didn't you want to come along?"

"USAGI! You're not saying that I should help Tails breaking into prison? That's against the law!"

"Well, we can't just let Sonic rot in there. What would you do?"

"Well, my mother knows this lawyer..."

"We can't wait for a lawyer!" the blonde hedgehog shouted. "Your bro was right, we need to do something now!"

"Usagi... isn't that what we always did? Helping the inhabitants of Station Square against Youmas, criminals and other dangers? What will they think when they see on TV that the Senshi have become criminals as well?"

"She's got a point there, Usagi!" Chibiusa pointed out.

Usagi pouted. "Can't we do anything?"

"Sure we can!" Chibiusa nodded. "We can try to find the true perpetrator! And think about it: Who do we know that looks somewhat like Sonic, is up to no good and would take every chance to get him in a bad situation?"

Usagi gasped. "You don't mean... Mamoru?"

"Good thinking, Chibiusa!" Ami said. "And if it was really him who robbed the Chaos Emerald from the bank, and we can prove it to the police, they will have to let Sonic go!"

"That's great, Ami-chan!" Usagi whooped. "Let's inform the others... ya think Sonic's other friends would want to help as well?"

"Well, Rei said that Knuckles is still searching for the shards of the Master Emerald... Cream is a bit too young to help... the Chaotix are on a new case and not at home right now, according to Michiru... and I have no idea where Amy is. I tried calling her at home, but she didn't pick up."

"We have to do it without them, then," Usagi said. "I'm gonna call Rei, you inform Mako and Mina-chan... oh no, Minako is on that stupid secret mission of hers..."

"I already called Makoto," Ami said. "She's on her way to the park, let's meet there."

"All right, just let me call Rei and I'm gonna come as well. Oh, that's right, she's at Minako's and Rouge's place right now, isn't she? Okay, see you later!"

When Ami's face disappeared from the screen, Usagi wanted to dial Rei's number. But she hesitated when she saw Luna lying behind the TV. She was still wearing the yellow ribbon around her neck and just stared at the wall.

"Luna... do you wanna come and help as well?" Usagi asked softly.

"Why bother?" the black Mau murmured. "That won't bring Diana back either..."

"She's been like this for hours," Chibiusa whispered. "I'm worried sick about Diana as well, but this looks serious... you think we should call the vet?"

"And tall him what? That our cat is missing her daughter?" Usagi whispered back. "I think we should just leave her alone for now..." She dialed Rei's number. "Hey, Rei, meet us in the park! Sonic's in trouble!"

* * *

Rei switched off her communicator. To the white mooncat sitting next to her, she said: "Artemis, I'm gonna help Usagi and the others looking for that bank robber. You stay here and watch Rouge."

"You want me to do the job all by myself?" Artemis blinked. "And what if she needs more tea? I don't have any opposable thumbs, you know?"

"You'll do fine!" the echidna girl smiled as she left the club. "Later..."

"Hey, did you guys forget about me?" Rouge groaned from the bedroom. "I need a new ice bag!"

Artemis groaned. "This day just got worse..."

* * *

"So this is Station Square?" Metal Knuckles asked. The trio of robots was hiding in a dark alley, where the humans didn't see them. "I must admit, I've never been here before..."

"Sensors could not indicate if Metal Sonic was lying," Omega stated. "But Eggman's destruction is top priority. If we search the whole city, he won't have a chance to escape."

"Yeah, I agree!" Metal Knuckles nodded. "Still, it is strange that Metal Sonic didn't want to come along... but if he tricked us, he'll be sorry!"

"Suggestion: We should spread up to increase the efficiency of our search!" Omega said.

"Good idea!" Metal Knuckles nodded. "Three pairs of eyes see more than one."

"I can haz Cheezburger?" Tails Doll asked.

* * *

At the same time, the Inner Senshi met in the park.

"All right, let's do this systematically," Mercury said. "Mars, you search near Twinkle Park! Moon and Chibimoon, you will take a look at the Casino district! Jupiter, go and search in the shopping district! I'll go and check all the rooftops. If you see any clue, or a hint of Mamoru's presence, or something that might prove Sonic's innocence, give the others a call! Any questions?"

Makoto raised her hand. "Yeah, since when did you become our leader?" the rabbit of Jupiter asked.

"Ami's plan is good," Rei said. "If it really was Mamoru, and if he left any clue, we'll find it!"

"Okay then, let's do it!" Sailor Moon shouted. "Sailor Senshi... move out!"

"Mom is letting her watch too much TV..." Chibiusa grumbled.

* * *

"Usagi, I really don't think Mamoru would waste any time in the casino," Chibimoon said, the pink-furred hedgehog child tugging at Sailor Moon's skirt as she wanted to enter Casinopolis.

"But he could be ANYWHERE!" Usagi shouted. "Maybe he turned the casino into his secret hideout..."

Chibiusa sweatdropped. "She DEFINITELY is watching too much TV..." she mumbled. "Listen, why don't I just send Luna-P in there to see if Mamoru..."

"It wasn't Mamoru..." a calm voice said.

They both looked up. Sitting on a lamppost above them was none other than Pluto the Hedgehog, like them in full Senshi attire.

"Puu?" Chibiusa wondered. "I didn't know you were here, too."

"What do you mean, it wasn't Mamoru?" Usagi asked. "How can you be so sure?"

Pluto looked down at them. "Because... the black hedgehog who robbed the bank... was my own brother!"

* * *

"Let's see..." Ami murmured, looking down at the streets from the rooftop she was standing on. "If I was Mamoru... where would I leave clues?"

She sighed. "Stupid question... Mamoru isn't so stupid to leave any clues... this search is so pointless..."

"Hungry!"

Ami blinked. "Huh?" She turned around. The bright afternoon sun was blinding her, so she shielded her eyes.

Two tails, orange fur, black nose... yup, that was her brother.

"Tails?! So you decided not to go after all? Oh, little bro, I'm so glad you listened to reason and... wait a minute..."

Bouncy antenna with red gem on top of the head? Tails never had anything like that. In that moment, the sun disappeared behind a cloud, and she could see the stitchy doll robot that was floating in front of her.

Tails Doll looked at Sailor Mercury with his soulless eyes. Unknowingly to both of them, something within his programming was changed by Ami's words.

He tilted his head. "Big... sister?"

Ami nervously stepped back. "Who... what are you? Why are you looking like...? Wait... are you... one of Eggman's robots?"

"Sis, I'm hungry! Can I haz cheezburger? Pleeeeeeze?"

Ami sweatdropped.


	21. Mission priority changed

"Damn you, Mamoru, if I found out it was you who framed Sonic... I'll never forgive you for this!" Rei grumbled. The young echidna girl had never been able to forgive Mamoru for his betrayal, and unlike Usagi, she couldn't just believe that his change of behavior was only caused by his robotization.

She was searching the coast close to Twinkle Park. The beach was closed in winter, but there still were a lot of tourists in the area, mainly of the amusement park's winter attractions. Mars was able to hear the cheers of joy coming from inside the park coming over the wall.

Then she frowned. Those didn't sound like cheers or whoops of joy. Not even people on a rollercoaster ride were screaming in such shrill voices.

"Those almost sound like... shrieks of terror," Mars realized. Using the sharp knuckles that every echidna had, she quickly climbed the wall and peered into Twinkle Park.

The visitors were yelling and shouting... but not because they were having fun. They were terrorized by a humanoid robot who was shooting at the crowd and the buildings.

"Eggman, where are you?" the robot yelled. "You can't hide forever!"

"Stop it right there, Mamoru!" Sailor Mars yelled as she jumped down, landing behind him. "I won't let you terrorize those people any... more?" She blinked when the robot turned around. "You're not Mamoru... you look like... Knuckles?"

"Interesting..." Metal Knuckles spoke up. "I see my fleshy double has found yet another survivor of his inferior race... and a female one at that. Is he your mate?"

Rei's red fur would have turned even redder, if that was possible. "You... shut up! I would never... I mean... that's none of your business!"

Metal Knuckles shrugged. "Whatever... it's not it's going to do you any good. Your race is doomed either way." He clenched his fists, showing Rei metal spines that were longer and sharper than Knuckles' would ever be. "Robots are the only superior species on Earth. Just you wait until we took care of Eggman... then all the fleshling races will share his fate!"

"Not in my book!" Mars shouted. "MARS FLAME SNIPER!"

Metal Knuckles winced a bit when the fiery projectile hit his face. "Interesting..." he grumbled. "That mystic weapon is more powerful than anything I've seen before. Too bad I'm heat resistant... which brings me to an interesting question: Are you missile resistant?"

A hatch on his chest opened, and he fired a volley of four missiles at the echidna Senshi. Rei gasped and jumped back, dodging two of the missiles. She threw two Fire Souls at once to destroy the other ones before they hit her.

"Remarkable," Metal Knuckles spoke up. "You put up a better fight than my worthless double."

"Stop speaking of him like that!" Rei yelled.

"Did I hit a nerve?" the robot asked in an amused voice. "I knew you're mates..."

"Shut up! BURNING MANDALA!"

The rings of fire homed in on the red robot, who simply raised his hands. Small guns came out of hidden hatches inside his arms, firing plasma shots at the fire rings.

"Futile..." he grumbled as he activated his back jets, diving at Mars at full speed. Rei coughed when his fists connected with her stomach, flinging her backwards against the stone wall behind her.

"Looks like I was wrong..." Metal Knuckles said as he grabbed her neck with his right hand. "You are even weaker than Knuckles... the last time I did that to him, he was able to free himself in seconds."

Rei gritted her teeth. 'I'll show him...' she thought. 'I can be stronger than Knuckles if I want to...'

True, she lacked the physical strength of her fellow tribesman... but her magical attacks were exceeding those few mystical powers that Knuckles was able to use by far.

"FIRE SOUL BIRD!" she yelled, surrounding both herself and the robotic echidna with a corona of fire, shaped like a bird.

'WARNING! Heat shield collapsing!' a voice inside Metal Knuckles' main processor said. Realizing that there was only so much heat he could endure, he released Sailor Mars and jumped back.

Mars grinned. "Play with fire, and you'll end up burnt!"

Metal Knuckles flexed his fists. "I'll show you that machines are superior..."

Rei smirked. "Bring it on!"

* * *

"What do you mean, your brother?" Sailor Moon asked. "You never told us you had any family..."

"I never knew I'd see him again..." Pluto said quietly. "It has been so long... and I also think he doesn't recognize me."

"Why? Does he have amnesia?" Chibimoon wondered. "Or did you two last see each other when you were kids?"

Pluto smiled weakly. She and Shadow never had any childhood... they skipped that part and were thrown right into puberty. While she never had been bothered by that, she now realized that she was missing something that each of the other Sailor Senshi once had: A childhood.

She tried remembering the childhood of her human self, in the old reality... but she found nothing. Nothing but memories of guarding the Gates of Time, for all eternity...

She closed her eyes. 'Damn you, Tikal... you keep reminding me that you gave me a gift when you made this new life for me, huh? And what a gift it turned out to be... first, you give me a family... then you take her away from me. And by the time I believe everything to be lost, my brother shows up again... still, he treats me like a stranger. Yes, a wonderful present indeed...'

"Um, Pluto?" Usagi asked, tilting her head. "Are you okay?"

The dark green hedgehog sighed. "I'm fine... Tell the others to stop their search for the bank robber. If my brother doesn't want to be found, he won't be found."

"But Sonic is in prison because of what he did," Usagi said, with a bit of accusation in her voice. "Even if he's your brother, if he's a criminal, we need to find him to clear Sonic's name."

"Can you tell us more about him?" Chibiusa asked. "Maybe we can find out where he went if we know what he likes to do."

"Good idea," Usagi nodded. "Does he have any hobbies?"

Hobbies? Pluto thought back to their life back in the space colony ARK... Shadow had never been a social person, and not very interested in most of the humans' leisure activities. Still, she knew that he liked to spend his time on the shooting range...

Also, did she want to tell Usagi and the others more about her brother? Her past life had been her most closely guarded secret up to now... and now it came back to haunt her. She had hoped that she could keep it a secret. She had to admit, she was a bit afraid of what the other Senshi would say if they found out that she's a clone... and more importantly, that she was created by Hotaru's great-grandfather.

She then thought of something... Did that make Hotaru part of her family, too? if Professor Gerald gave her life... and Maria was Hotaru's aunt...

Also, now that Shadow had reappeared in her life, it was just a matter of time before the others found out more about their past. As for why Shadow stole the Chaos Emerald and framed Sonic... she really had no explanation for this. She recalled the moment when he had looked down at her, with those eyes full of disdain.

Her words came back, crawling through her mind... 'HOW PATHETIC...'

She shook her head. It must have been the amnesia speaking. "You are right about one thing," she said to Chibiusa. "Shadow doesn't remember me... and on top of that, he doesn't act like himself. I don't know why he's doing this... but I want him to stop. I want to talk to him... I need answers."

"We'll help you!" Usagi smiled. "We'll find Shadow... and get to the bottom of this."

Suddenly, they heard heavy footsteps behind them. People screamed when they saw the robot that was wandering down the street.

"A robot! Help!"

"Dr. Eggman is attacking the city again!"

"Run for your lives!"

"Again?" Usagi groaned. "Why can't he just leave us in peace...?"

"This one... he looks similar to the E-Series," Chibiusa noticed. "You think there's an animal inside his core?"

"Either way, he certainly looks more formidable than the robots we have fought before... not counting Metal Sonic," Pluto remarked.

E-123 Omega let his mechanical eyes wander across the three hedgehogs standing in front of him. Deep within his core, a tiny grey kitten was shouting 'SMALL LADY!', but it was ignored. Finding Eggman was top priority.

"Sailor Senshi..." Omega spoke in his monotone voice. "Enemies of Dr. Eggman..."

"That's right, and we will keep fighting him until he leaves Station Square alone!" Sailor Moon shouted. "We're not afraid of you!"

'Oh please, please, don't attack...' Diana pleaded. While she was worried about what her robot body would do, she was also afraid that any attack that hit her would also endanger her real body.

Omega's scanners were unable to tell him if his weapon power would allow him to face three Senshi at once in battle. Still, there were not of his concern right now. "Passive mode maintained," he spoke. "Weapons will not be activated."

"You... you're not going to fight us?" Sailor Moon wondered.

"Positive," Omega replied. "Question: Where is Eggman?"

"What?" Usagi blinked and exchanged confused looks with Chibiusa and Pluto. Now why would one of Eggman's robots be searching for its own creator?

"Um, we don't know where he is," she finally said.

"Acknowledged," Omega said, detecting no hints of lying in the female hedgehog's body language. "Will commence search of downtown Station Square."

"Hey, you're frightening the people," Chibiusa complained. "You should go back where you came from."

"Impossible!" Omega said. "I need to complete my mission."

Pluto sighed. "Sailor Moon, we don't have time for this... we need to find Shadow!"

Omega turned his head. "Shadow the Hedgehog. Self-proclaimed 'ultimate life form'. Last known location: Prison Island Underground GUN facility. Disposition: Hostile. Affiliation with Dr. Eggman. Danger! High threat level. Chaos anomaly within black hedgehog's body detected."

Pluto gasped. GUN facility? "You... you've seen Shadow?"

"He's with Dr. Eggman?" Chibiusa wondered.

"Prison Island?" Usagi added. "Hey! That's where they've taken Sonic!"

Omega completely turned his whole body around, until he was standing directly in front of the pink-furred hedgehog Senshi. He began a scan of her body.

"Identity: Sailor Chibimoon. Mission priority changed. Threat level to youngest Senshi high. Danger! Danger! Do not engage Ultimate Life Form in combat!"

"Um... I didn't plan on fighting him," Chibimoon said, a bit taken aback by the robot's sudden interest.

"Negative! Threat level still too high. Senshi interests conflict with Shadow the Hedgehog's danger level. Conclusion: E-Series robot E-123 Omega will accompany you."

Chibimoon almost fell back on her furry behind. "Wh-wh-whaaaat?"


	22. Minako the villain?

A pair of E-1000 robots were marching down the corridor, side by side, their weapons ready to blast any intruder that might appear in front of their visual sensors.

They never saw the pair of high-heeled shoes that came from above, crushing first the metal skull of the left robot, then the head of the right one. Both E-1000's came apart in a small burst of metal shards and sparks, and the two little animals that were trapped inside, a bunny and a skunk, fell to the stone floor, blinking in confusion.

Minako, still in her 'Agent V' outfit, landed next to them and posed. "Ah yeah, I'm the best!" she grinned. She then winked at the two animals. "You better get out of here, little guys. You don't want Eggman to trap you again, do you?"

The skunk and rabbit decided it was best to listen to the strange bat-person that helped them and skittered away.

Minako flexed her arm muscles. "Well, so far, so good. At least old Eggy doesn't know I'm here yet. Let's hope it stays this way. But as I always say: Nothing dentured, nothing waned." She giggled.

A sigh then escaped her. "Dang... it's not the same without Artie's grumpy remarks. Oh well, the sooner I can finish this mission, the better."

And she ventured deeper into Eggman's secret hideout within the pyramid.

It was just a matter of time before she found something.

"What's this?" she asked as she approached the strange machine in front of her. "Some kind of computer? Hey, maybe he has some cool games on there." She grinned.

Suddenly, her walkie-talkie began to beep. She sighed. "Oh great... the big boss again... hello?" She raised the walkie-talkie to her ear. "Venus Industries?"

"Stop fooling around!" came the harsh voice of Commander Bullet. "Your first report is overdue. If you want to be a secret agent, start acting like one! So where are you right now?"

"Oops, the report." Minako giggled sheepishly. "I knew I forgot something. Sorry 'bout that. Um, yeah, I'm inside Eggman's hideout, and I found this funky machine that looks like an arcade game." And she described the device to the commander.

Bullet felt a headache coming. "That's NOT an arcade game, you stupid girl!" he grumbled. "That's a space transporter."

"Really? Just like in Star Trek?" She whistled. "Cool!"

"Would you listen for a damn minute? If Dr. Eggman has a space transporter within his hideout, he must have used it. Try to find out which destination it's been set to."

"Roger roger!" Minako saluted. "Um, how do I do that again?"

Commander Bullet sweatdropped. Then he gave Minako the necessary instructions. After having taken an aspirin.

Minako searched her way through the computer's menus, following the commander's instructions. "Um, according to this, the destination has been set to a place called... ARK."

"The ARK... of course..." Bullet muttered. "After all those years, that place comes back to haunt me. We should have destroyed that damn thing a long time ago..."

"Excuse me... what did you say?" Minako asked.

"Never mind that," Bullet replied. "Just go up there. Follow Eggman and find out what he's up to."

"You got it!" Minako nodded. She put in the necessary commands, then she stepped in the middle of the circular transporter platform. "Beam me up, Scotty!" she giggled.

"Stop that!" the commander shouted.

* * *

Commander Bullet was actually right: Eggman had already used the space transporter to reach the ARK, exactly 15 minutes before Minako had found her way into the transporter room.

Steering his egg-shaped combat walker through the dark corridors, he muttered to himself: "So this is the space colony, ARK..."

He had read a lot about this, not only in his grandfather's diary. He knew of all the grand things his grandfather had created while living up here. He was envious and at the same time glad that he wasn't able to do some research of his own up here. Envious, because he admired everything Professor Gerald Robotnik had done. Glad, because he'd never want to work under the supervision of an official military organization such as GUN.

If it weren't for them, his grandfather might have been still around...

He snickered. "Well, at least that gives me the chance to use everything he created for my own ambitions... so everything stays within the family."

It didn't take him long before he found the central control room of the ARK, the room Shadow had mentioned before he had left the doctor back on Prison Island. It was a huge computer, located on a circular platform that floated above a deep abyss. All kinds of holographic images floated around the platform and the computer itself.

In front of the computer, a black hedgehog was standing, holding the Chaos Emerald he had taken from the bank.

"I've been waiting for you, doctor!" he smiled.

Dr. Eggman climbed out of his Egg Walker while Shadow resumed talking: "Now, I will show the glorious achievement of what the world's leading scientist, Professor Gerald, has created."

The computer behind him suddenly sprung to life, the various control panels flashing in a bright light while the holographic images began to spin.

"The ARK was the first space colony created by mankind," Shadow continued. "Not many people know that the ARK contained a top-secret research facility, where weapons of mass destruction were being created. This is one of them: A weapon capable of destroying an entire planet. Codenamed: 'The Eclipse Cannon'."

Shadow was now smiling like a proud son. He was the only one Professor Gerald had entrusted with this secret. He never mentioned what this cannon was there for, but he knew he could use it to finally have his revenge on the humans on Earth... revenge for Maria...

In the back of his head, though, he somehow felt as if there was supposed someone else... someone who had also been told about this secret by the professor. Someone who also lived here in the Space Colony...

The image vanished before Shadow could take a better look at it.

Eggman was looking more than intrigued. He was awestruck in front of this technological masterpiece. "Destroying an entire planet..." he muttered while stroking his beard. "Was this... my grandfather's legacy?"

Unknown to either of them, their conversation was being overheard. Minako the Bat alias Sailor Venus alias Agent V had managed to catch up with the doctor and was spying on him for some time now. Now, she was hiding in a small alcove high above them, in the very same control room. She had been very surprised to see a hedgehog that somehow resembled Pluto. She smirked at the thought of what she would say if she knew she had a male double. But then, after Shadow had begun talking about the Eclipse Cannon, she didn't feel like laughing anymore.

'If that weapon falls under Eggman's control... we will be in greater danger than we've ever been before. That is, if the black guy's telling the truth...'

She knew she was a bit ditzy and clumsy at times. One more reason why several people, including Artemis, compared her to Usagi.

But she was still a Sailor Senshi, a defender of Earth... and she had been around much longer than Usagi or any of the other girls. She knew there were times when she couldn't just take everything with humor, when she had to be serious. And this was such a moment.

'I won't let them use that horrible weapon,' she swore to herself. 'No matter how, I won't let them!'

"But it's been deactivated for some time now," Shadow then said, catching Minako's attention. To reactivate it, large amounts of energy are necessary."

He picked his emerald and threw it at the control panel, where it landed within a small indent. Suddenly the whole machine began to pulse in an even more intense light.

"Oooooh," Eggman remarked. "So that's why we needed the Chaos Emeralds."

"Exactly," Shadow smirked. "To reactivate the machine, we need the seven Chaos Emeralds. Once you have that, then you have the ultimate power of destruction, to use as you please. And then..." He narrowed his eyes. "The world could be yours!"

Minako felt a bit more relieved, now that she knew the cannon wasn't at its full power yet. Still, she somehow had to make sure they would never fire that thing. How was she going to accomplish this, however? And there was still the promise she had made to Rouge... she couldn't blow her cover, or her mission would end in a failure. She also didn't knew if she could face both Eggman and that dangerous-looking hedgehog all on her own... She would need a plan...

"Hahahahahahah!" Eggman laughed. "Sounds like a plan! I like the way you think, Shadow! I will get the Chaos Emeralds, use the machine to dominate the worlds and build a legacy of my own..."

"Do you really think it's going to be that easy?" a female voice high above him spoke up.

Shadow and the doctor both looked up to see the masked, blonde, red-winged bat in the black bodysuit that was floating above them, slowly flapping her wings.

"I've got a great idea," she smiled as she landed in front of them. "How about making a deal?"

Eggman was certainly surprised at the appearance of the bat-girl. How did she manage to sneak up on him like that? Was she friend or foe? Could it be that thief, Rouge? No... she wasn't blonde. And this girl sounded younger.

"A... deal?" he then asked.

"Well," Minako said with a wink. "If you'd just let me borrow that radar... I might be able to help you find the missing emeralds. I may not look like it, but I'm a first-class treasure hunter!"

'In-training,' she mentally added.

Eggman was more than sceptical about this offer. He rubbed his chin and exchanged a look with Shadow. When the black hedgehog gave him the hint of a nod, he sighed and said: "Very well."

"Okay, then it's a deal?" Minako grinned. "I don't think we've been introduced. I am the bedazzling, charming, gorgeous and absolutely stunning treasure hunter V the Bat... but you can call me V!"

'Well, that's that,' she thought to herself. 'They accepted me into their little group... now all I have to do is to make sure their little agenda doesn't cause any more property damage than the usual battles we used to have with old egg-head's mechs.'

She had not the slightest clue how she was going to accomplish this... but for now, she was just glad that Eggman didn't see through her disguise. She didn't want to imagine what he'd do if he found out that one of the Sailor Senshi was infiltrating his little operation...


End file.
